To Unite Us
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: My first 9 fic: my idea for a sequel to the epic movie. After the destruction of the Fabrication Machine, 3, 4, 7, and 9 discover that life is reforming on Earth. However, they also discover that they are not the only lifeforms left on the planet...
1. The Restoration Begins

To Unite Us

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own 9. It is an epic animated masterpiece, in my opinion, and I would love it if I owned it, but Shane Acker is the rightful owner.

Plot: This opens up a few weeks after the movie ended. It is the aftermath of the destruction of the Fabrication Machine and all its pawns. 3, 4, 7, and 9 are still unsure about what they are supposed to do next, but they soon discover that they are still not alone.

9 sat on the window to the Scientist's workshop. He sat up straight, letting his legs dangle over the windowsill. From there, he gazed out at the surrounding ruins.

Even though the Earth he was brought into was a barren wasteland, things were starting to improve. Ever since the day he and others had destroyed the B.R.A.I.N., water had started falling from the sky at erratic intervals. 3 and 4 had done some research and discovered that this falling water was classified by humans as "rain."

It sounded like a gloomy name to 9, but it was certainly better than seeing miles and miles of the usual arid, inhospitable surroundings.

Not long after the rain had started falling, some of the smog had begun to dissipate, letting in more sunlight. 3 and 4 had later discovered that some type of biochemical reaction doing on in the surrounding soil. At that moment, the two of them were out studying this reaction.

7 was scouting around, looking out for any more machines. Granted that the Stitchpunks had not seen any operational machines since the destruction of the B.R.A.I.N., they knew better than to let their guard down.

9 was left on his own to "hold up the fort," as 7 liked to say. He took that time to think about what the future might hold for him and the others.

9 could not help but wonder just how the Scientist intended him to "protect the future." He had destroyed the Fabrication Machine himself, but it was his fault that the monstrosity was awoken in the first place. He could not help but think that he was responsible for the deaths of 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 as well.

3, 4, and 7 had made many attempts to comfort him about this matter. After all, when 9 had set up the trap for the Fabrication Machine, 1 had had a change of heart and pushed him out of the way for him to survive in his stead. 6 had died willingly to prove to the others that the souls of the others were trapped inside the machine, and if 8 had been more watchful while on guard duty, he would not have been captured and killed. 9 had also tried to save 5 when he was caught by the B.R.A.I.N., but 1 had stopped him.

The only death that really made 9 feel terrible was 2's death. He and 5 had gone to the factory to rescue 2. When they arrived, 2 was alive and well. But after 9 had placed the Talisman in the B.R.A.I.N., 2's soul had been sucked out and a new terror was operating.

No matter how hard the others tried, 9 could not forgive himself for 2's death.

At that very moment, 9 was holding onto two items. In his left hand, he held the Talisman, which he had decided to keep "just in case." In his right hand, he held his light bulb staff. It was not lighting up at the time, as there was plenty of light coming from the sun. Plus, 9 only wanted to use the light bulb when it was necessary in order to preserve its power. The light bulb was also one of the things that brought the Stitchpunks hope for the future; they did not want to waste it.

"9? Are you up here?" came a familiar feminine voice.

9 snapped out of his reflection and looked over his shoulder. 7 was standing a few feet behind him on the Scientist's desk. She had her bird skull helmet over her head and she held onto her spear in her left hand.

"Is everything alright?" asked 7, noticing the uneasiness in 9's optics.

9 smiled at her and said "I'm fine, 7. I was just thinking."

She scoffed and walked over to him, saying "I notice you've been doing a lot of that recently."

As she sat down next to him, 9 said "A situation like this calls for lots of thinking."

7 pulled up her skull helmet and set her spear down next to her. Then she and 9 took a moment to look out into the horizon. There were miles of barren wasteland for miles in all directions, but the two of them had been able to see the beauty in the environment.

9 put the Talisman and his staff to the side as well. He placed his hand on 7's, inciting her to look at him out of the corner of her optic and smile at him.

9 wanted to start up a conversation, but he was not sure how to begin. He first asked 7 "Have you seen 3 and 4?"

"Yes, I passed them on my way back," she replied, "They're still at the exact same spot they were this morning, and they're still cataloging the soil."

"That doesn't really surprise me," said 9, "I'll bet they've been there all afternoon."

"I don't think so," she said, "They had one of their reference books from the library with them, which I'm sure was not there before."

"Alright then," 9 grinned again, "I guess we'll just wait for them to get back."

There was a brief interval of silence. 9 finally broke it when he said "7, have you ever wondered how we came about?"

"What do you mean, 9?" she asked, "The answer to that is simple; the Talisman gave us life."

"I know that," smirked 9, "What I mean is: how was the Talisman able to give each of us our personalities? We all have very different personalities."

"In what ways?" she asked.

"I thought you'd ask that," he said, "1 had the personality of a rigid leader, 2 had the personality of a benevolent inventor, 3 and 4 have the personalities of quiet but informative historians, 5 had the personality of a friendly, peacekeeping doctor, 6 had the personality of a cryptic oracle, you have the personality of a valiant warrior, 8 had the personality of a loyal guard, and I… well, I guess I have the personality of a brave yet somewhat ignorant mediator."

"I would say that all those labels correctly match everyone," nodded 7, "But you're not ignorant. I would say that you're… curious, yet perceptive. If you know what I mean…"

"Thank you," he grinned nervously. Had he been human, his cheeks would be turning a deep mahogany hue. But he was not human, and his cheeks were made of burlap. So nothing appeared.

7 looked up at 9 and said "So, you think I'm valiant?"

"Of course," he nodded quickly, "You're also kind, caring, compassionate, very motherly – towards 3 and 4, I mean – thoughtful, protective-"

"Am I motherly to just 3 and 4?" asked 7, smiling again.

"Well, 'motherly' is not exactly how I would categorize your friendship with me," 9 responded.

"In that case, how WOULD you categorize your friendship with me?" she asked, scooting a little closer to him so that their legs were almost touching each other.

If 9 was human, he would have started to sweat in anxiety. But he just chuckled nervously and said "Well, um… I, uh… well…"

"9?"

"Yes, 7?"

"Have you ever heard of a rhetorical question?"

9 took a moment to think, and then he said "Not to my knowledge, no."

"A rhetorical question is a query that some humans would give others," 7 enlightened him, "But whoever asked the question actually knew the answer already, and they were not really looking for an answer from the person they asked."

"I fail to see the point to such a question," 9 commented, raising the stitches above his eyebrow in interest.

7 put her arm around his shoulder and told him "Rhetorical questions served a variety of purposes. Sometimes they were just used to keep a conversation going or change its subject; sometimes they were used to open a conversation. But sometimes they were used to address a matter with a small amount of subtly."

9 immediately knew what she meant after that. He just looked at her and grinned once more.

Just then, their moment was interrupted by a loud beeping sound going off in the distance.

"What's that?" 9 asked in concern.

"That's the alarm I gave 3 and 4!" 7 answered, somewhat disturbed "I told them to use it in the event of an emergency. Or a… 'situation.'"

"Let's go!" 9 said as the two of them rose to their feet. 9 quickly picked up the Talisman, unzipped his zipper, put the Talisman inside his torso, and zipped himself back up. As he picked up his light bulb staff, 7 dropped her helmet over her face and picked up her spear. She went back inside, jumped off the desk, did a somersault in the air, and landed on her feet.

9 was in good shape, but he was still not quite ready to be doing somersaults in midair. He just carefully climbed down the desk, but he slipped just about a foot before he reached the ground.

Fortunately, a computer module broke his fall. After 7 helped 9 up, the two of them quickly made their way to the bottom of the building. However, neither of them noticed that the module started flashing in a certain spot just before they left the room.

Once they were outside, they ran as quickly as they could to the place 3 and 4 were seen last.

When they got there, they were half-expecting to find a machine like the Seamstress or the Cat Beast. Instead, they just found 3 waving his arms to them, urging them to come closer.

When 7 and 9 reached 3, 9 asked him "Where's 4?"

3 responded by using the flickering lights in his eyes. When he was finished, 7 told 9 "He says that she's busy cataloging a new object that neither of them has ever seen before. That's why they called us over here."

Both 7 and 9 calmed down when they heard this reassuring news.

3 led the two of them over to 4. She had her back turned to them and she was kneeling on the ground, studying something in front of her.

When they reached her, 3 went over to 4 and communicated her via their flashing lights.

"What is it you and 3 found?" 7 asked her.

The two mute Stitchpunks moved away, revealing a bunch of very interesting objects protruding from the ground.

The objects were clustered together. They were all tall, thin, and green. None of the Stitchpunks had ever seen anything like this up close before. They were at the very least able to determine that it was made of organic material.

9 soon recognized it from a mural at the library.

"3, 4, let me save you the trouble of looking through research banks for hours on end," said 9, "This material is known as 'grass.' It grew all over the ground before the war between humans and machines took place."

3, 4, and 7 looked at 9 in interest. "How do you know this?" asked 9.

"5 told me," said 9.

"Oh, alright," 7 nodded.

There was another brief moment of silence. The four Stitchpunks focused on the blades of grass. Then 9 said "Well, looks like it's started."

"What's started?" asked 7.

"The rebirth of life on this world," 9 clarified merrily.


	2. Contact

As the four Stitchpunks made their way back to the Scientist's workshop, all 9 could do was smirk. Just an hour earlier, he had been franticly wondering how he and the others would "protect the future." Now, he discovered that the process of saving humanity would not be as difficult as he originally thought.

3 and 4 traveled ahead of him and 7, as the two of them were eager to return to the workshop and do some more research.

7 walked alongside 9. She held her spear in her left hand, and she had her skull helmet up on her forehead. 9, remembering the moment they had shared together earlier, wanted to share in another one. In the past, he had done some research in one of 3 and 4's books about human signs of affection.

9 moved his lightstaff into his right hand. Then he slowly reached his left hand out to 7's open right one. He took her hand in his and held onto it gently. She looked at him out of the corner of her optic and smiled. He smiled in return. The two of them walked on without speaking.

9 took more time to think about the future. While 9 was glad that the planet was being reborn, he still was uncertain how humanity would be restored. He had looked through a few of 3 and 4's textbooks on the history of mankind, but all of them only went so far back in time. There were a great many books that discussed the evolution, development, and advancement of man, but no book seemed to contain a completely certain testimony on the creation of humanity.

9 had found many theories on this topic. Some of them were religious; some were scientific; some used only logic. 9 had considered each of the theories and dismissed just about every single one of them in turn. In the end, there were only two of these theories that he was willing to consider to be authentic. One of them was a mostly scientific one that held the belief that humanity – as well as every other animal species – was produced from the surrounding earth like all plants. To 9, it seemed natural for a planet to give life to all species native to it.

The only other hypothesis 9 was willing to consider was a commonly-held religious one. This belief held that a higher power was responsible for creating not just humanity, but Earth itself as well as the whole universe. Granted, to some it would seem preposterous, 9 found it to be logical. After all, he and the other Stitchpunks had been created by the scientist. In a way, he had been a "higher power" to them. However, the belief itself said that the "higher power" could not die, and Scientist had died after giving life to 9.

9 had concluded that he and the others would have to oversee this whole process one step at a time.

Just then, 9 felt something rush against him. He looked down and saw three and four at his chest. He grinned and asked them "What are you doing?"

He noticed that the twins' eyes were flashing. Apparently they were studying something on him. But 9 could not tell what, as he knew they had already cataloged every part of him.

Soon, he noticed something out of the ordinary. Every five seconds, a very faint bright green glow emanated around the bottom of his torso. 7 quickly noticed the glow, too.

"What do you make of that?" 9 asked her.

"I don't know what that is," she said, "But its point of origin appears to be… inside of you, 9."

9 unzipped his zipper and discovered the source of the glow. It was the talisman.

9 extracted the device from his body and gazed at it closely. 3 and 4 continued to catalog its newest feature.

"What do you suppose this signifies?" asked 7.

"I'm not exactly sure…" said 9. Just then, he had a very disturbing thought. "Maybe it means that one of the machines is near!"

3 and 4 had finished cataloging. They quickly got between 7 and 9 and looked around the area for any movement. 7 gripped her spear with both hands and gazed around the area.

9 activated his lightstaff and told the others "We have to get back to the workshop!"

The four Stitchpunks took off running. 7 ran at the front of the group. 3 and 4 followed close behind. 9 travelled at the back with the talisman and his lightstaff.

As they ran, the talisman started to glow at a more rapid interval. Before long, there was a four-second rest between flashes. Soon that in turn became a three-second rest. When it reached a two-second rest, 9 stopped and told the others "Wait, stop!"

3, 4, and 7 stopped and turned to him. He showed them the talisman and said "Its pace is getting faster."

"What?" said 7, "How can that be?"

They stood wondering over this matter for a moment, but then 3 created a hypothesis for why the talisman was reacting in such this way. He took it from 9 and ran in the opposite direction.

"3, where are you going?" called 9. "Come back! We have to stay together!"

9 was about to take of after 3 when the latter of them stopped running. Even though he was a great distance away already, 9 could still see the talisman's blinking light. But he noticed that the resting interval between the bright green flashes was about two and a-half seconds.

3 ran back over to the group. When he got back to them, 9 noticed that the talisman's resting interval was back to two seconds per flash.

4 and 9 had noticed this as well. Before long, 9 developed a theory to why the talisman's resting intervals was fluctuating. As 3 handed the talisman back to him, he presented his theory to the others: "Whatever is causing the talisman to react this way, we must be getting closer to it."

3 and 4 looked around the area nervously again. But they saw nothing.

"We still have to get back to the workshop!" said 7.

"7, for all we know, there could be a machine waiting for us outside the workshop!" said 9.

"That's a risk we'll have to take, 9," said 7, "The closest safe place – the library – is over a mile away. The workshop is only about a hundred feet away."

9 sighed and reluctantly agreed. 7 lowered her skull helmet over her face and led the group back to the workshop.

By the time they reached the Scientist's ruined house, the talisman's rest interval was less than one second.

"Whatever's affecting the talisman, it must be coming from INSIDE the workshop!" 9 told them.

"The building looks peaceful," commented 7, "I think it's safe for us to investigate."

The four Stitchpunks proceeded with caution. They searched through any room that was still at least partially stable. 4 almost fell through a broken floorboard, but 3 caught her and pulled her back up.

By the time they got to the third floor with the workshop itself, the talisman's rest interval was approximately 0.3 seconds.

"The workshop!" said 9. "The source must be in the workshop!"

When they got there, they looked around the room for anything out of the ordinary. At first, they found nothing different from before, but then 3 and 4 spotted a computer module on the ground that was flashing at the top. They ran over to it and started studying it.

This quickly caught 7 and 9's attention. They went over to module and observed its flashing icon.

"Did it always do that?" queried 7.

"No, when we last left the room, it was not flashing," said 9.

"Who touched it last?" asked 7.

"I did," 9 recalled, "When I climbed off the table, I slipped and fell. But this module broke my fall."

"Quick, let me see the talisman!" said 7.

9 handed the talisman over to 7. By then, its rest interval was just 0.1 seconds. 7 held the talisman directly over the computer module's flashing light. At that point, the talisman did not even have a rest interval. It was simply radiating the bright green light without pausing.

"I think we found the source," said 7.

9 nodded. He went over to the front of the module and held his lightstaff near it. Finally, he announced "I think it's supposed to be opened right here. 7, I'll need to borrow your spear."

7 traded her weapon for his staff. 9 wedged the front blade in-between the top and bottom chassis of the module. Then he pulled down on it vigorously. After a few seconds, the top chassis popped open.

The inside of the module was much different than any sort of computer the Stitchpunks had ever encountered. Its composition bared more resemblance to one of the machines than to an actual computer.

"What do you suppose its specific function is?" asked 9.

"I haven't a clue," admitted 7, "But it looks like the flashing icon is the only part of it that's operating. It needs to be powered somehow."

They looked around the module to find a way to power it. 9 soon noticed a familiar hole in the certain of the mechanism. It was circular with three small dots in the center. A wave of circles increasing in their radii was formed around these dots.

9 looked at the talisman and held it out to the dots. When 7 noticed this, she grabbed 9's arm and said "9, I know what you're thinking, but maybe that isn't such a good idea."

"7, I do remember what happened last time my curiosity got the better of me," 9 admitted, "But I don't think this module can be anywhere near as bad as the Fabrication Machine."

After carefully considering their options, 7 agreed and let go of his arm. She took her spear and held it closely in both hands. 3 and 4 held 9's lightstaff above the module. 9 held onto the talisman with both hands and slowly lowered it into the hole.

Nothing happened immediately, but after a moment, the module came online. It started making a few noises as it processed the information in its databanks.

The four stitchpunks watched the module closely for a few minutes. Finally, something new happened.

A clip next to the talisman started tapping itself against a piece of metal.

3 and 4 quickly went to work cataloging this process. They were fascinated by it.

9 noticed that the tapping occurred at a varying frequency. Sometimes it was just "tap." Other times it was "taaap."

3 and 4 discussed their findings with 7.

"What did they find?" asked 9.

"They think it's a message," she elucidated.

"A message, as in what the Scientist left me?" assumed 9.

"No, as in a long-distance message," she clarified.

9's optics shot wide open. He stuttered "A-are y-you saying th-that…"

She nodded and said "At this very moment, someone is trying to contact us."

Note: I'm sorry if this chapter was kind of boring. The next one will be much more exciting.


	3. The Journey

3 and 4 became very interested in 9's latest discovery. After doing a little more research, they discovered that the clip and the piece of metal purposely functioned together as an antique communication appliance known as a telegraph. The tapping sound produced was a method of communication known as "Morse Code." Each "tap" represented one "dot," and each "taaap" represented one "dash."

3 and 4 found the key to Morse code next to a picture of a telegraph in one of their books. They noted how much similarity Morse code had to the flashing lights they used in their eyes to communicate with each other.

The message repeated itself every few minutes. After memorizing Morse code perfectly, 3 and 4 stood by the machine, waiting for the message to come again. They had an inkwell, a pen, and a few pieces of paper standing by so that they could write it down. When the message came through again, 3 and 4 started writing it down as quickly as possible.

When they were finished, they took what they had written and presented it to 7 and 9. 9 read it out loud:

"'Greetings. This is a message to anyone of our kind who is out there. We first wish to assure you that this message is genuine; you are not alone.'"

9 looked over at 7 and flashed a smile. She returned it and beckoned him "Well, go on. Does it say anything else?"

He nodded and continued "'We are just as relieved to be sending this message as you are to be reading it. If you are capable of travelling, come join us at our Haven. We can guarantee you that you will be safer here than wherever you currently are. A search party will meet you at the following coordinates."

Underneath that, 3 and 4 had written down a set of coordinates. 9 made a note to look them up on a map later on. He finished up the message: "From there, the search party will lead you to Haven. I wish you good luck and safe traveling. I hope to see you in person soon."

9 needed a moment to let everything sink in. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he told the others "We need some maps."

3 and 4 went off to a certain cabinet in the room. They knew where the Scientist kept his maps before his death, as he was very organized.

The two silent Stitchpunks returned with their arms full of rolled-up maps and spread them out on the floor. 9 noticed that the module contained the latitude and the longitude of their current position. After locating themselves on the maps, the Stitchpunks located the coordinates of "Haven."

"Hmmm…" said 9 as he studied the distance between the two sites "According to this map's legend, we're only about… 30 miles southeast from this 'Haven.'"

"Really?" said 7, amazed, "We're only that far away?"

9 nodded and turned back to the machine. Unfortunately, there was no visible way for them to return a message using that device. After coming to that realization, 9 told the others "We should leave as soon as possible."

7 looked up at him and asked "What? You're already convinced that we can trust whoever sent that message?"

"Can you think of any reason why we should not?" asked 9.

"Well, it could be possible that the message was sent by some of the surviving machines," 7 theorized, "Or the message actually was prerecorded and set up beforehand. For all we know, HUMANS could have sent that message! But then again… it could even be possible that that message… was sent… by…"

7 broke off there, but 3, 4, and 9 knew very well what she was going to say. 9 placed his hand on 7's shoulder and told her "If we're going to look at this optimistically, 7, we should believe your last theory. I, for one, think we should go. It's at least worth one shot."

3 and 4 nodded vigorously. Both of them knew that such a journey would most likely separate them from all their sources for research, but they trusted 9 and they were ready to follow him wherever he went.

"We need you on this one, 7," said 9, "We can't go without you."

After a few moments of thinking 7 just shrugged and said "You can count me in."

9 smiled down at her and addressed everybody: "We should travel light. I'm sure that humans could travel 30 miles in one day, but it may take us at least three days to travel that distance. Four if encounter many natural difficulties along the way."

3 and 4 were jumping in excitement. The two of them went off to pack a few of their possessions. 7 and 9 decided to pack a few things, as well. Each of the Stitchpunks made himself or herself a small backpack out of some material they found throughout the Scientist's workshop. Each of them took a short blade, some extra thread, some wire, a needle, some matches, some paper, and a few other items. They also brought along 5's crossbow, a compass, a small pair of scissors, a small screwdriver, a small magnifying glass, some screws, and several other items. 7 also brought along her shield, skull helmet, spear, and sling. 9 decided to include his lightstaff, the map, the message, and the talisman (which he managed to extract from the module via a hidden button).

Once the Stitchpunks were all packed up and ready to go, they set off on their 30-mile trek.

First they used the compass to determine which way was northwest. Once they had accomplished this, they went in that direction.

After travelling for about two miles, they were about to lose sight of the Scientist's home. 9 looked back one last time at the ruined building. 7 noticed him and went to his side. She told him "I'm sure that this won't be the last time we see this place, 9."

He sighed and turned back to his front, saying "I hope you're right, 7."

For about another five miles, the four Stitchpunks traveled across flat, favorable terrain. But they came to their first major obstacle after that. They came to the center of a vast canyon. It went on for miles in either direction. They looked down over the edge, and the bottom of the chasm was not even visible.

7 kicked a small rock over the side to determine the gorge's depth. The Stitchpunks heard the rock hit solid ground after about thirty seconds.

"It must be at least half a mile deep," 7 announced to the others.

"We'll have to cross it somehow," 9 decided.

"How?" said 7. "There's no way across."

"You mean YET," 9 corrected her with a smug grin on his face. He took out of his backpack 5's crossbow, two arrows, a full spool of thread, two long nails, and a small screw. He tied one end of the thread to the tail of one of the arrows. Then he notched it in the crossbow and aimed at the top of the cliff on the other end. After lining up his shot, 9 fired.

The arrow sailed about twenty feet through the air and plunged into the firm earth on the side of the canyon on the other end. The thread remained tied onto the arrow and went all the way across the gap with it.

9 took the thread and cut it some of it off from spool. Then he tied it around one of the nails and, using the screw, beat the nail into the ground. He ran his finger along the twine that connected the nail to the arrow, and found that it was stable on both ends. The string was at a slightly higher point on the nail than it was on the arrow, which gave it a type of sloping incline.

9 repeated this process with the other screw and nail, and he made sure that they were perfectly lined up side-by-side. The nails were positioned about two inches away from each other, as were the arrows.

3, 4, and 7 watched him in interest. Once he was finished, 7 asked him "What now?"

"Now comes the really hard part…" 9 announced, "We climb across."

3 and 4 nervously stepped away from the side of the canyon. 7 looked down it for a moment, and then she looked at 9 and said "You plan to get across this chasm… using THAT?"

9 just nodded and got out four long pieces of thick, sturdy wire. He tied one of the pieces firmly around his waist and legs as a harness, and clipped it onto the two pieces of thread that ran across the gap. After securing the talisman in his chest and his lightstaff over his back, 9 faced the canyon and focused his attention on the other side. After testing the thread's strength once more, he started making his way across.

From the moment 9 felt the ground disappear beneath his feet, he became very nervous. But he did not let his fear get in the way; he used the threads to climb across the gorge as quickly as possible. The whole time, he thought to himself _Don't look down; don't look down; don't look down_, even though he was tempted to do so many times.

After about a minute, 9 had successfully climbed across the gap. He then climbed on top of the arrows and grabbed onto the edge of the cliff. He pulled himself to the top and turned around. He could see 3, 4, and 7 on the other side of the chasm, applauding him for his success.

He smiled across at them and said "Who wants to go next?"

After a moment, 3 decided to go next. He took another of the pieces of wire that 9 had placed on the ground, tied it around his waist and legs, and clipped it onto the threads. After mentally preparing himself, 3 started making his way across.

3 took a little longer to climb across the threads. At one moment, he had almost looked down. He needed to pause for a moment to regain his confidence. 9 called out to him "Come on, 3! You can make it!"

3 quickly calmed down and he finished the climb across the gap uninterrupted. 9 leaned over the edge and held out his hands. 3 grabbed them and allowed 9 to pull him up onto the cliff.

4 then decided that she would go next. After getting one of the pieces of wire tied around her legs and waist, she clipped the wire onto the threads. However, 4 was the most nervous of the group, so she needed a little more time to prepare herself.

After about a minute, 4 started climbing across the gap. But her progress was very slow in comparison to the others'. About halfway across, she accidentally looked down. When she saw how far away the ground was, she quickly looked away and covered her optics. She became so nervous that she let go of the threads.

4 was expecting to fall to the ground right then, but then she remembered that her harness was attached to the threads.

"You can do this, 4!" 9 called out to her, "Just focus on getting across!"

4 needed a few moments to collect herself. Finally, she grabbed back onto the threads and climbed across the canyon. When she made it to the other end, 3 and 9 pulled her up to where they were.

"Good job, 4," 9 congratulated her.

She just nodded and sat on the ground. 3 sat down next to her and patted her on the back.

7 was more than ready to cross the gorge. She had already tied the last piece of wire around her waist and legs. After she clipped it onto the threads, she placed her spear on her back and started climbing across. She handled the climb much better than 3 or 4 had. 9 did not even have to give her any encouragement. However, he felt himself become very worried that she would fall. Even though she was very quick, 9 found himself becoming very concerned for her. He did not know why he felt this way, but he just did.

When 7 made it across the gap, 9 pulled her up onto the cliff.

"Well, looks like you were right," said 7, "That was enough to get us across."

"I just hope we don't have to do anything like that ever again," said 9.

3 and 4 nodded in agreement. 7 looked at the thread bridge and asked 9 "What are we going to do about this?"

9 shrugged and said "I guess we should just leave it the way it is. Who knows? It may come in handy if we decide to come back this way."

7 found this to be a reasonable arrangement.

"We should probably try to get in a few more miles today," 9 suggested, "The more we get done today, the less we'll have to travel tomorrow."

3, 4, and 7 agreed with him. After untying the wires and packing them up, the four Stitchpunks continued travelling in the northwest direction.

After making their way across another four miles of rough, uneven terrain, they decided to make camp for the day.

3 and 4 went to sleep relatively quickly. But 9 spent some time stargazing.

The stars were relatively new to him. Just thinking about them made him wonder. The idea that he was just a small part in a much larger universe was somewhat incredible to him.

7 went over to him and asked "Would you mind if I joined you?"

"Not at all," he nodded.

7 placed her spear on the ground and laid down next to 9. The two of them focused on the stars together.

After a few moments of silence, 9 asked 7 "Do you really think we can make the journey?"

"Well, based on today, I definitely believe we can overcome any obstacle we encounter," 7 answered him.

"I think we only got lucky today," said 9, "I mean, when 4 crossed that canyon, for a moment I actually thought she was going to fall."

"Well, all of us made it across the gorge," 7 noted, "You should be more optimistic about our progress, 9. We've already traveled eleven miles in one day. We only have nineteen miles remaining."

9 just nodded his head and agreed "I guess you're right."

9 then turned his head to 7 and told her "7, there's something I've wanted to say to you for a long time. I just wasn't sure how to tell you."

7 turned to 9 and asked him "What do you mean?"

9 paused for a second, and then he answered her "This is something one human would tell another when the former felt full of passion and strong emotion around the other. You probably already know this, but I wanted to make sure of it before I told you."

"What is it you want to tell me?" she asked curiously.

He turned to her and placed his hand on her burlap cheek. He told her "7, I… I love you."

She sat up and looked at him strangely for a moment. Then she asked him "When did you decide that?"

"A long time ago, actually," he replied, "I just either did not realize it or did not admit it until now. But I'm sure that I love you. I just felt that you had the right to know that."

7 continued looking down at 9, but then she smiled back down at him and said "9, where did you learn about the human concept of love?"

"I did plenty of research first," said 9, "For the first time ever, 3 and 4 were very little help in this topic. They both seemed either uninterested or repulsed in the topic. For the life of me I could not determine why."

7 gave a slight nod of the head and asked 9 "Did you know that in many cases, the second party will come to reciprocate the love that the first party employs?"

"Yes, I did notice that," 9 responded, "Why do you ask?"

7 helped 9 sit up straight. Then she looked into his optics and told him "Because I love you, too, 9."

For just a brief moment, 9 felt a bit of disbelief. Then he felt excitement and pure happiness. He smiled widely and said "Really?"

She nodded again, telling him "At first, I was somewhat afraid to admit it, but I've never felt this way around any of the others. There's no point in denying it, 9."

9 pulled 7 into an embrace (which he learned was another demonstration of affection employed by humans) and said "I feel that this journey just became much easier on my conscience."

"Well, it should," said 7 as they came apart, "Because I also know that you can get us to this destination. For as long as you are our leader, I will follow you. 3 and 4 will, as well."

9 continued to smile like a fool. Then he said "7, would you like to discuss more about love?"

"Indeed, I would," 7 responded, "But if you do not mind, I would prefer to wait until tomorrow. We'll need our rest."

9 agreed to this arrangement. The two of them laid back down on the ground and fell asleep in each other's arms.


	4. Disaster Strikes

The next morning, the four Stitchpunks woke up bright and early. As they did not require much sleep, they wanted to resume their journey as quickly as possible.

After packing up their supplies, they set off again.

The terrain started to become much more rough and uneven as they continued their trek. After about three miles of barren savannah, they came to a forest of tall, dead trees.

Even though it was still morning at that point, the forest was very dark. 9 needed to bring out his lightstaff shortly after they entered. But the lightstaff only provided minimal light for them.

3 and 4 hid behind 7 and 9; as both of them were afraid of the dark, but only in unfamiliar places. In fact, 9 had come to the conclusion that the two of them responded to the unknown in two fundamental ways: by fear, or by curiosity. The latter seemed to be the more common reaction.

7 was not taking any chances; she had her skull helmet drawn over her eyes and she gripped her spear in both hands.

9 led them on through the woods with his lightstaff raised in the air. As he walked, he walked through clusters of delicate of brown objects. He easily crushed them with his metallic feet.

"If I remember correctly," he announced to the others, "These tall, wooden objects are known as 'trees,' and the fragile paper-like objects that litter the ground around them are known as 'leaves.'"

"That is correct," 7 nodded, "You should have seen trees before the war between humans and machines began. They were covered in leaves that were red, yellow, or green, depending on the time of the year. Now they're all brown and lifeless."

3 and 4 got a bit bolder and they went to catalog some of the different types of leaves that covered the ground.

Unbeknownst to any of the Stitchpunks, about fifty feet in the air, a very loose branch was dangling from a tree.

"I wonder how long this forest goes on," said 7.

"Probably a few miles," 9 theorized, "At any rate, we should soon be reaching the halfway point."

"That would certainly provide some relief," 7 remarked, "Who knows? Tomorrow, we might reach Haven."

"I'm sure we will reach it, 7," said 9, "Let's just hope that everything goes smoothly."

At that moment, 3 happened to look up. He saw the dangling branch. Within ten seconds, 7 and 9 would be walking right under it. Even from that distance, 3 could tell that the branch was going to fall at approximately that same time.

Quickly, 3 pointed the branch out to 4. When she saw it, she placed her hands over her mouth in worry. The twins zipped in front of 7 and 9 and held their hands out, as if to say "Stop!"

"3, 4, what's wrong?" asked 7, "Is something bothering you?"

Unfortunately, all of them were standing directly under the dangling branch. It soon broke off.

3 and 4 pointed directly above them to warn 7 and 9. They all looked up and them saw the branch falling towards them.

3 and 4 reacted by pushing 7 and 9 away from danger. But they themselves did not move away in time. The branch fell on top of them, and the twins disappeared underneath it.

7 and 9 had fallen over when the twins pushed them away. But they swiftly got back onto their feet and stared in horror at the fallen branch.

"3! 4!" shouted 9, "Are you alright?"

He got no response. He and 7 ran over to the branch and started breaking parts of it off. They worked quickly so that they could extricate 3 and 4.

After about twenty seconds of digging, they found 3. He looked up at them and held out his hand. 7 and 9 extracted him from the branch and got him back onto his feet.

The three of them turned back to the branch and continued digging for 4. After forty-five more seconds, they still had not found her. But they were all determined to find her, especially 3.

Finally, they located her under a few sharp twigs. To their horror, one of them had impaled her just below the spot where "4" had been written in ink. Her optics were closed and she was not moving.

"Oh, no…" 9 whispered under his breath.

When they got 4 out from under the branch, her hood slid off. 9 saw all of her head for the first time. She looked much like 7, except she had a few visible stitches on her forehead.

3 kneeled next to his twin and took her in his arms. He looked down at her with a look of unprecedented sadness in his optics. 9 knew that Stitchpunks could not cry, but if they could, he was sure that 3's optics would soon become rusty.

3 then pulled off his hood, matching 4 in appearance once again. 9 saw that 3's head was identical to 4's in every way; even the stitches in their foreheads were the same.

After 3 pulled off his hood, he looked down at 4 in sorrow for a few more seconds. Then he brought the side of his head down to her chest and listened. Soon, his expression became a little less gloomy and he smiled up at 7 and 9.

"She's alive?" assumed 9.

3 nodded merrily.

9 breathed a sigh of relief and 7 looked up to the sky, saying "Thank goodness."

9 turned his attention to the twig that protruded from 4's chest. He reached for it and grabbed firmly onto it. He was about to pull the twig out of her chest, but 3 stopped him.

"What?" 9 asked nervously. "What's wrong, 3? I'm just trying to remove the twig."

"It's not that simple," 7 explained to him, "Each of us has a critical internal gear at that spot in our bodies. If we just pull the twig out, we'll kill 4."

"Well, there has to be something we can do," said 9 hopefully, "We should at least cut off enough of the twig for us to be able to bandage her wound."

3 and 7 found this to be a reasonable arrangement. 7 took her spear and placed it about three millimeters above 4's chest and directly perpendicular to the twig. She slowly but steadily began cutting through the twig.

After about twenty seconds, most of the external part of the twig had been removed. Only about three millimeters remained, but it was enough to be properly covered up. 9 got out a small needle, some thread, and a piece of material that was composed of the same substance used to create 5's eye patch. While 3 and 7 held the patch in place, 9 expertly sewed it down over the wound. As he worked, he told the others "Let's hope the people at Haven know how to repair us better than we do."

"Well, it looks like we'll definitely find that out for ourselves now," remarked 7.

"What do you mean?" inquired 9.

"4's injury is far beyond our own medical knowledge," 7 clarified, "Our only hope now is to get her to Haven."

"Why is it so important?" asked 9.

"Because if she doesn't get treatment for this injury within a week," 7 paused for a moment, and finished with "she'll die."

9 gasped in shock; 3 took his twin in his arms again and held her closer than before. 9 looked at him, undergoing a feeling of guilt that he had felt since 2's death. Then he placed his hand on 3's shoulder and said "I won't allow her to die, 3. We'll get her help."

3 turned to 9 and smiled up at him. However, 9 thought that he saw another emotion hidden underneath that smile. But he decided not to address it.

3 drew his hood back over his head, and he pulled 4's back up for her. He threw his right arm over his shoulders and gave her a helping hand up. 7 got her spear and 9 got his lightstaff. The two of them rose to their feet and prepared to continue their journey. 9 got out the compass and found the northwestern direction once more. Once he had found it, the group went on.

9 still walked at the front with 7 behind him. 3 was helping 4 a little further back.

Every now and then, somebody looked up to search for more loose branches. They did not want to take any more chances after what had almost happened to 4.

Fortunately, about four miles later, they came to the edge of the forest. When they got there, they discovered that several trees were no longer dead. Some of them had started growing leaves again.

Discovering this brought a few moments of happiness to the Stitchpunks. But once they stepped out of the forest, they were confronted once again with dry, flat wasteland.

9 got out the map and found the edge of the forest on it. He next located the spot where the rendezvous point had been selected. He announced to the others "We're making great progress! We only have twelve miles left to go!"

7 grinned and patted him on the back. She asked 9 "How many more would you like to get in today?"

"How about three more?" suggested 9. "That way, we'll only have nine miles to travel tomorrow."

"That's fine by me," 7 nodded in agreement.

9 turned to look at 3. He gave no indication of being fatigued at all, even though he had been giving 4 a helping hand for hours, and she had not stirred a bit in that time.

"Is that alright?" asked 9.

3 nodded his head vigorously. 9 moved over to him and said "Here, let me help you with her…"

3 shook his head this time and walked past 9, leaving the latter very confused.

"Is he feeling alright?" 9 whispered to 7 as they continued walking, this time with 3 walking ahead of them with 4's arm over his shoulder.

"He feels obligated to help 4 all on his own," she enlightened him.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Well, he's taken on that responsibility as the elder one ever since she was created," 7 elucidated, "In fact, based on what 1 and 2 told me, 3 felt somewhat incomplete after the Scientist created him. He could not speak like them; he could only communicate using those flashing lights in his eyes. 1 and 2 had gone to explore the outside world within a couple days after the Scientist created them. But 3 remained much longer and he just explored the workshop. In fact, now that I think about it, that may be the very reason why the Scientist created 4 the way she is."

"Well, based on what you just told me, I would not be surprised," said 9, "But that almost sounds like what 6's initial reaction to life would be."

"I understand what you mean," said 7, "He always seemed somewhat alienated from the rest of us, even though we accepted him for who and what he was."

"Well, if the Scientist created 4 to go with 3 for those same reasons," 9 noted, "Then why didn't he do the same thing for 6? Why didn't he create YOU in 6's image so that he would have someone to understand him better?"

"I'm sure the Scientist had his reasons," 7 answered him, "But, between you and me, I can do without having black stripes all over my body, pen dubs for fingers, and saying 'source' all the time."

9 scoffed at 7's last remark. Then he said "Yeah, that's not exactly the most attractive thing in the world."

7 turned to him and said "What did you say?"

9 nervously looked at her and said "I, uh… uh… I said that you acting like 6 would not exactly be the most… attractive thing in the world."

7 pulled up her skull helmet and asked "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, uh…" 9 nervously began his explanation, "This goes back to my research on human love. I looked up a few methods of how they would verbally express it to each other. One way was to tell somebody that they were 'attractive," or in other words, 'sensually impressive,' to them."

7 patted 9 on the back and told him "9, when we make camp, I want to teach you more about how humans would express their love to each other."

"I'd be happy to learn about that," said 9, "But we should probably remain focused on getting today's last three miles done."

"Agreed."

The four Stitchpunks walked across what had once been lush grassland for a long time. Then, just when they finished the third mile, they came to the center of a vast body of water.

Like the canyon, the water seemed to travel in either direction for miles. Going around it would just add on to their journey.

"I don't suppose you have anything that can get us across this, do you?" 7 said to 9.

"No, not on me," he answered, "But maybe there's something close by that we can use."

"Like what?" said 7.

9 turned her around and pointed out a small cluster of trees. He told her "The bark on those trees looks like it is loose enough to be cut or pried off, but sturdy enough to support all of us if we get on top of it. I think that in the right amount, it would make a great raft."

7 rubbed her chin to think about this idea, and then she said "9, that is brilliant."

"Thank you," he smiled back at her.

While 3 set up camp a few meters away from the water, 7 and 9 went to the trees. 9 inspected all of them, and after determining which tree had the strongest bark, 7 cut off a piece that was two feet long and one foot wide. The bark was a little curved, but neither 7 nor 9 minded that.

They also found some small sticks that could be used as oars.

After hauling the makeshift boating equipment to their campsite, 7 and 9 started to get settled.

For a long time, 3 remained sitting upright against his backpack. He had 4's head in his lap, and he stroked her forehead gently.

3 then looked over at 7 and flashed his eyes a few times. After getting his message, she grinned at him.

"What did he tell you?" inquired 9.

"He said that 4 should regain consciousness by morning," 7 replied, "He also said that he'll tell her everything that's happened since the… accident."

"Well, I hope she won't take it too badly," said 9.

"If I know 4, she'll be very frightened at first, but she'll quickly calm down after that," 7 told him.

The two of them turned back to 3 and saw him hold 4's head close to his own.

9 leaned over to 7 and said to her "7, can I ask you something about 3 and 4?"

"Of course," she nodded, "What is it?"

"Well…" he began, "Have you… ever wondered about their relationship with each other?"

"How so?"

"Up until this point, I've always thought of them as being in a sibling-like relationship with each other," 9 explicated his thoughts to her, "But now that I see them like this, I'm more inclined to believe that…"

"That what?"

"That they are… mates." 9 finished.

7 seemed to be very interested in 9's speculation. "Really?"

"Yes," he nodded slowly, "In fact, THAT may very well be why the Scientist created 4 to look and act exactly like 3. They would literally be made for each other."

"That would seem like a reasonable assumption," 7 admitted, "I would suggest asking 3 and 4 themselves, but they never speak of their relationship."

"Well, if they want to keep it private, I understand completely," said 9, "In fact, maybe they just pretended to be disinterested in studying love because they did not want me to know about their relationship. That would certainly clarify a few things."

7 and 9 quickly decided to drop this subject; they did not like talking so much about their friends in this manner. They almost felt as though they were gossiping.

A short while later, 3 decided to get some rest. Both 7 and 9 decided to go the same soon.

They lay down next to each other on the ground and looked up at the sky.

"This looks familiar," 9 commented.

"Indeed it does," 7 concurred, "I believe we were lying on the ground like this the same time as yesterday."

9 turned to 7 and said "7, could you teach me more about the ways humans would express love?"

"It would be my pleasure," she said, slowly looking towards his face and sitting up. Once this was done, she told 9 "Humans would frequently demonstrate affection towards each other by physical means."

"How was this accomplished?" inquired 9.

"There were many different methods," 7 told him, "A common one was known as a 'kiss.'"

"What is a kiss?" he curiously wondered aloud.

7 smiled widely and said "I think I'll just show you."

7 took off her helmet and placed it to the side. Then she took 9 by his collar and pulled his face right up to hers. In the end, both of them were lying on the ground with their mouths directly touching each other. 9 was a little startled at first, but he quickly got the hang of this sensation. He noticed that 7 had shut her optics, so he did the same with his. He found that this 'kiss' was even more enjoyable that way.

When they finally come apart, all 9 could say was "Incredible."

"Humans had larger lips, so it may have been a little more enjoyable for them," 7 informed him.

"I don't care about that," 9 said honestly, "I REALLY enjoyed that, 7. Thank you for 'showing me.'"

"Like I said, it's my pleasure," she smiled at him.

The two of them discussed various topics regarding human love for over an hour before they finally decided to get some rest.

Using their backpacks as pillows, they laid down on the ground next to each other. 9 said to 7 "I hope that we can discuss more about love tomorrow."

"Sure, I would be glad to," she smirked.

9 smirked in return and pulled her closer. Like the previous night, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms. Only this time, their feelings for each other were even stronger than they were in the previous night.


	5. Not Alone

Note: I'd like to thank sharaabsol92 for reviewing the story so far. If anyone else could submit a review or two, I would greatly appreciate it. I need a review from another party now more than ever to see if I really am making the story interesting. You'll see why I'm so concerned about this matter at the end of this chapter.

By the time 7 and 9 had woken up the next morning, 4 had regained consciousness. She was sitting up against her backpack; 3 was sitting next to her with his hand placed on her shoulder. 7 and 9 could tell that 3 had explained to her everything that had happened since she had gotten knocked out. This included the matter of her "condition."

They could tell that 4 was very disturbed to be informed of this matter, but she still had faith that she would survive the ordeal.

9 decided to test the raft before the group continued their journey. Working together, he and 7 moved it to the edge of the lake (which could have been a river from a human's perspective). Then they pushed most of it into the water. They found that it floated perfectly on the concave side. To further test the raft's durability, 7 held onto it while 9 climbed on. A satisfied grin came across his face when he discovered that the raft was completely stable.

9 and 7 pulled the raft out of the water and went to get 3 and 4. Once they had packed up everything, they moved all their supplies onto the concave end of their raft. Then they gathered at the back of it. When they were ready, the four of them pushed the raft into the water once again. When the raft was almost floating again, all the Stitchpunks jumped onto it.

When 4 got on board, she held her side in pain. 3 immediately went over to help her. Using his optics, he asked her what was wrong. She gestured down to the patch on her chest. 3 quickly realized that jumping had caused the twig to move a little in her body. That in turn caused the lapse of pain. But fortunately, it was only momentary.

Even though 4 claimed she was fine, 7 and 9 insisted that she rest to avoid injuring herself again. After 3 helped her get comfortable, 7 picked up two of the makeshift oars. She tossed one of them to 9 and asked him "Which way is northwest?"

9 got out his compass, and said while pointing a little to the right "That way."

7 grinned and said "We should get a move on."

9 smirked at her and went to the port side of the raft. 7 went to the starboard side. The two of them used their oars to shift the boat into their desired direction. Once they accomplished this, they started vigorously rowing.

The Stitchpunks remained in their current positions for most of the first hour they were on the raft. 3 sat in the center near the back with 4 rest her head on his lap. 7 sat to the right of the ship near the front, and 9 sat to the left of the ship near the front. They sat in this manner to evenly distribute their weight on the raft.

A few times, 9 looked over his shoulder at 3 and 4. The two of them were having a conversation with each other (with their flashing lights, obviously).

9 was glad to see that they were smiling. They both had their attention focused on each other. At one particular point, 3 seemed to be telling 4 something she was unaware of. 9 came to this conclusion because only 3's optics were flashing, and a look of interest appeared to come across 4's face.

3 then gestured to 7 and 9 by moving his head sideways towards a few times. 9 could only guess that 3 was talking about… him and 7, for some strange reason.

9 quickly turned his head back to the front of the raft and pretended that he did not see anything. But after about twenty seconds, he looked over his shoulder again and saw a much unanticipated sight.

3 was kissing 4 on the forehead. Both of them had closed their optics.

9 tapped 7 on the shoulder. Once he got her attention, he pointed over his shoulder and gestured towards 3 and 4. 7 was a little surprised to see the silent Stitchpunks doing that, but 9 could tell that she found the sight touching.

"Why do you think they're doing that?" inquired 7.

"Well, based on a few gestures I saw them doing a few seconds ago, 3 must have seen us kissing each other last night," 9 theorized, "Now maybe he is trying to demonstrate it to explain it to 4."

"But he's just kissing her on the forehead," 7 noted, "If he was really trying to emulate us, wouldn't he kiss her on the lips?"

"Maybe their relationship is a sibling-like one after all," 9 reevaluated his earlier hypothesis, "Maybe I was wrong about what I said earlier. You know, about them being mates."

"Well, whatever type of relationship they have with each other, it's not really our business," decided 7, "Besides, we shouldn't spy on them. They deserve some time to themselves, especially after what happened yesterday."

9 nodded as the two of them turned back to their front. They continued paddling across the lake in silence.

After traveling for about a mile, 4 had mostly regained her strength. She and 3 decided to help 7 and 9 with the rowing. They each took one of the makeshift oars and took a few moments to study the movements 7 and 9 made with their arms to get an idea of how to properly use the oars. Once they got a basic understanding of the process, 3 moved to the right of the raft and 4 moved to the left. They made sure to sit near the back of the raft so that everyone's weight would still be evenly distributed.

With two Stitchpunks paddling on either end instead of just one, the raft's progress was quickly doubled.

After another two miles, the water was being a little more difficult to work against. It seemed as though the wind was blowing in almost the exact opposite direction. But the Stitchpunks were determined to reach Haven by the end of the day. They were not about to let a little wind hinder their progress.

After one more mile, they reached dry land. When they came to the edge of the shoreline, 9 and 7 put their oars in the center, picked up their backpacks, and jumped off the front of the raft. They quickly turned around and took the raft by its bough. 3 and 4 picked up their backpacks and walked to the front of the raft. 7 and 9 helped them off. Working together, the four Stitchpunks pulled the raft completely out of the water and out of reach of the tide.

Once they were done, 7 gestured to the raft and asked "What should we do with this?"

"The same thing we did with the thread bridge back at the canyon," 9 answered her, "We should just leave it where it is, in case we decide to come back this way."

The others agreed to this arrangement. After pushing the raft a few meters away from the shoreline, 9 got out his map and found their position.

He looked up at the others and told them with a wide grin on his face "We only have five miles left."

The others seemed to be just as relieved as he was to know this. This journey had been an exhausting one for all of them, and they were ready for it to be over.

"Let's go," said 9 as he put his map away.

The group continued walking for another two miles across rough terrain. Then they encountered a vast, thick, mysterious mist. Even though it was not even noon yet, 9 was forced to use his lightstaff to find his way through the fog.

"I've never seen such a large expanse of mist," 7 told him, "It seems to go on for over a mile."

"Perhaps it's artificially created," 9 suggested.

"That would explain why it seems so evenly dispersed and of uniform quality," 7 agreed, "But why would anyone go to all that trouble?"

"I don't know," 9 shrugged, "Right now, I'd just like to concentrate on getting through this fog."

The journey through the fog lasted almost two and a-half more miles over rough terrain. After that, the group came to the edge of the mist. They walked a few hundred more feet. They found that this land was covered with piles of rubble. The rubble piles were composed of various sizes and shapes. Finally, the group reached the point specified on the map. But there was no one there.

While 9 got out the map, 7 looked around the area, but the environment was just as barren and desolate as the land 9 and the others had been created in.

"Are you sure there are the right coordinates?" 7 asked 9.

"Yes, absolutely," said 9 as he studied the map, "We're exactly thirty miles northwest of the Scientist's house."

There were a few moments of silence. 3 then went up to 7 and flashed the lights in his eyes a few times.

"What's he saying?" asked 9.

"He's suggesting that maybe the search party is late," 7 answered him.

"They have to be around her somewhere," 9 stated, looking around the area in several directions.

7 looked over at 4 and said "They'd better be. Otherwise we will have come all this way for nothing."

3 went over to 4 and hugged her. 4 knew the reason; he was scared for her. Even though she did not show it, her wound had weakened her considerably. But she still had hope and faith that the others would find her help.

Just then, a loud clinking sound penetrated the quiet atmosphere of the area. The Stitchpunks quickly brought this to their attention.

"What was that?" 7 said aloud, pointing her spear in the direction of the noise.

"I… I'm not sure," 9 responded nervously, "But it sounded like something large… and metallic."

A few seconds later, they heard a breathing sound coming from the same direction as the first sound. It sounded deep, angry, and hostile.

"It appears we're not alone after all…" 9 commented. He rolled up his map, put it away, and took out his lightstaff and a short blade.

7 brought her skull helmet down over her head and armed herself with her shield.

4 hid behind 3. Both of them looked in the direction of the noise.

9 saw a rubble pile that had a cinderblock on its side at the bottom. He turned to the silent Stitchpunks and told them "3, 4, go hide in that rubble pile. 7 and I will investigate."

The two of them nodded and went inside the cinderblock to get into the pile of rubble. From there, they watched as 9 and 7 anxiously surveyed the area.

Suddenly, more metallic sounds broke through the eerie silence. 7 and 9 stood back to back with their weapons in hand. They walked in circles to keep their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

Listening to the metallic sounds, 9 whispered "I think they're getting closer."

Both of them turned directly to the direction of the noise, but they saw nothing. However, they were focusing on the ground. Had they been looking up, they would have seen the ominous silhouette of a figure climbing up another large pile of rubble. It peered over the top of the pile and glared at the two rag dolls on the ground before it.

"Who's there?" called out 7. "Show yourself."

The figure accidentally knocked a tin can off the top of the pile. It clanked noisily as it descended to the ground.

This was immediately noticed by 7 and 9. The latter of them looked up and saw the silhouette. He nudged 7 and whispered very quietly "Up there."

7 looked up at the top of the rubble pile and saw the silhouette. She gestured to 9 to activate his lightstaff. He did… and they were presented with a terrible sight.

The figure was one of the machines. This machine was similar to the Cat-Beast, except it was slightly larger and the machine bared a striking resemblance to a wild boar.

When 9 activated his lightstaff, the machine looked away. But then it became infuriated. It leapt off the rubble pile and landed just a few feet in front of 7 and 9.

The two of them each took a step back. The Boar-Beast glared at them for a long time, and then it roared like a raging bull. It charged towards them with its head lowered to the ground.

7 and 9 dove out of the way just in time. In her dive, 7 slashed at the Boar-Beat's right back leg. This caused a few wires to come loose just above the ankle. The Beast stumbled and collapsed onto its stomach. 7 decided to take advantage of this opportunity. She attempted to use the same strategy she had used to destroy the Cat-Beast.

Just as she hopped onto the Boar-Beast's back, the machine got back onto its feet. It was completely aware that 7 had climbed onto its back, and it attempted to shake her off. But 7 would not yield to its violent spasms.

She jumped into the air and raised her spear over her head, preparing to slice off the machine's head. But the Beast saw her coming and thrust one of its metallic paws at her. 7 fell backwards and landed on her back.

"7!" 9 called out in worry.

The Boar-Beast turned its attention towards him next. 9 glared at the machine and threw his small blade at it. The blade sank directly into the machine's neck. The Boar-Beast roared in pain as a result.

9 smiled at the damage he had done to the monster, but the Beast was resilient. It reached up to its neck, pulled out the blade with its claws, and crushed it to bits.

9 waved his lightstaff at the Boar-Beast, making it loose its focus. Grinning in satisfaction, 9 called out "Come on! Give me your best shot!"

The Beast looked off to the side and spotted the cinderblock and a tall board made of iron that was standing on its side. It got an idea.

The Boar-Beast turned to 9 and grabbed him. 9 fought to get free, but the Beast was strong. It took him over to the board of iron and dropped him in front of it. Using both of its front claws, the Beast brought the board down on top of everything below 9's chest. Holding its left paw down on the board, it reached over to the cinderblock and picked it up. 3 and 4 quickly ran out of the object just in time.

The Beast took the cinderblock and placed it on top of the board, trapping 9 underneath it. 9's head, shoulders, and arms were sticking out from under the board, but the rest of his body was stuck.

"9!" shouted 7, who had just recovered.

While she distracted the Beast, 3 and 4 went over to 9 and tried to liberate him.

"Forget about me," he told them, "Save yourselves!"

Both of them shook their heads and tried to either pull off the board or pull 9 out from underneath it.

The Boar-Beast had managed to knock 7 onto her back again. It turned its attention back to 9. This time, it saw 3 and 4 trying to help him. The Beast jumped towards them and thrust its paw at the two silent rag dolls.

3 and 4 went flying through the air and landed a few feet away. 4 had landed on her stomach, directly on her wound, in fact. She clutched her chest in agony once again. 3 went over to help her. He put her arm over his shoulders and led her back to the rubble pile.

The Beast still had its attention focused on them. It started to approach them very slowly from behind.

"3, 4, look out!" 9 warned them.

They both turned around and saw the Boar-Beast moving towards them. Just when it was about to strike again, a small rock hit the side of its face.

It turned to see 9 throwing rocks at it from the ground. He shouted at the Beast "Not them! You're not done with me! Fight me first!"

The Beast growled and looked back at 3 and 4, as if deciding between them and 9. It turned its body back towards 9 and marched towards him.

When the Beast was directly in front of 9, it raised one of its paws above its head.

But 7 jumped out from behind the cinderblock and struck the machine on the arm. As the machine shouted in pain again, 7 landed easily on the ground. She sneered up at the Boar-Beast and said "How dare you attack a trapped opponent. You coward!"

The machine became even angrier than before. It swiped its paw at 7 and picked her up, holding her up to its head. In the process, 7's skull helmet fell off. 7 waved her spear at the Beast's face a few time, inflicting some more damage. Finally, the Beast took her spear and dropped it on the ground.

7 struggled to free herself, but the Beast held on tightly.

All 3, 4, and 9 could do was watch in horror. After a few seconds, the Beast took something out of its side with its free front paw and held it near 7. 9 quickly realized what it was. It was another talisman!

That could only mean one thing: the Boar-Beast was about to suck out 7's soul.

3, 4, and 7 realized this, too. 7 stared in horror at the device and struggled to get out of the Beast's clutches.

9 tried to free himself from the iron board, but he was still stuck underneath it. He raised his hand in the air and shouted "7! Noooooooo!"

Just when the Beast's talisman started to glow, the Beast paused, as if something else had caught its attention. It lowered the talisman, and looked over its right shoulder. Noticing this, 3, 4, 7, and 9 looked in that same direction. The Beast was focusing its attention on a very tall pile of rubble about eight feet away. At the top of that pile, something was moving!

A large, cylinder-shaped device was at the very top of the pile, pointed straight in the air. A very small figure was at its base, turning the device in a certain direction. When the figure was facing the Boar-Beast, it slowly lowered the cylinder-shaped apparatus towards it. All the while, the machine, 3, 4, 7, and 9 watched in curiosity.

Suddenly, dozens of pieces of metal were fired from the cylinder. They struck the Beast in several places on its head and torso.

The Beast shouted in pain, dropping both 7 and the talisman.

3, 4, 7, and 9 recognized the cylinder-shaped device as the firing chamber of a human weapon known as a machine gun. The pieces of metal being launched out of its chamber were also recognized as bullets.

The Boar-Beast tried to cover itself, but the bullets easily penetrated its thin metallic skin.

After firing about one hundred and fifty bullets, the figure at the base of the machine gun stopped. Then it seemed to make a signal towards another figure that was standing a little to its left and slightly further down the pile of rubble.

The second figure took out another cylinder-shaped apparatus. It focused its aim directly at the Boar-Beast. Then it fired a single projectile with this device. When the Beast saw the object approaching, it dove out of its path. But the object redirected its path and followed the Beast.

3, 4, 7, and 9 recognized this object as a smaller version of a heat-seeking missile. Evidently, the Stitchpunks did not give off any heat, but the Boar-Beast did.

The Boar-Beast tried to evade the heat-seeking missile, but the missile continued to pursue its target.

7 noticed that the Beast's right back paw had a weak spot around the loose wires. She put her skull helmet back on, picked up her spear, and when the Beast ran past her, she sliced its back right paw off.

The Beast tripped and howled in pain once again. However, it quickly remembered the missile, and the Beast looked over its shoulder. Three seconds later, the missile sailed directly into its chest and exploded on impact.

The Beast's torso was almost completely obliterated and its head was almost damaged beyond recognition. Everything that was left of the Beast immediately shut down permanently and collapsed onto the ground.

7 carefully surveyed the machine to make sure it was destroyed. When she was convinced that it had been, she ran over to 9 to free him. 3 went over to assist her.

With their combined effort, the two of them managed to pull up enough of the board long enough for 9 to crawl out from underneath it and retrieve his lightstaff. Incredibly, the lightstaff was undamaged.

"3, see to 4," said 9, "7, we better investigate this."

3 went to help 4 get back onto her feet. With difficulty, she managed this.

7 and 9 turned their attention towards the largest pile of rubble in the area. The missile had produced a large amount of thick smoke when it had detonated. 7 and 9 were prepared to walk through it to see what – or who – was on the other side.

As they got closer to the smoke, they heard heavy footsteps approaching. A few seconds later, they saw two outlines reach the edge of the field of smoke.

"Who are you?" 7 called out to them.

The two figures stepped out of the smoke, greeting 3, 4, 7, and 9 with an extraordinary sight.

The two figures were Stitchpunks! The first one had skin made out of burlap that was the same color as 9's skin. The second one was also made of burlap, but had slightly darker skin. Both of them had hands and feet made out of iron and copper. The first one's skin was fastened with four horizontal clips on the torso. The second one's skin was fastened with a shoelace which ran through two sets of four holes on the rag doll's chest and was tied in the center of the group of holes. Both figures had helmets made of plastic drawn over their faces. 7 and 9 could not see their faces through their helmets

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. Finally, the first one asked them "What are you doing out here?"

7 and 9 were not sure how to answer this question. They were speechless.

When they did not answer, the first one said in a little more impatient tone "Don't you know it's dangerous to be out here?"

"Well, uh… we're sorry about that," 9 said apprehensively, "You see, we're new to this area."

The two new Stitchpunks seemed to be stunned to hear this. They looked at each other, and then back to 7 and 9.

The second one asked them "Are you the ones that sent us that message two days ago?"

"Was the point of origin about thirty miles southeast of here?" inquired 9.

The two new Stitchpunks nodded vigorously.

9 grinned and answered them "Then yes; we are the ones you speak of."

The two Stitchpunks each raised one of their hands to their helmets and drew up their visors. 7 and 9 finally got to see their heads. Both of the Stitchpunks were male. Their faces matched their color skin, and they had the same type of optics for eyes as 3, 4, 7, and 9.

"Ummm…" said the first one, suddenly a little timid, "I don't suppose you would mind, uh… turning around for a moment, would you?"

"Why?" asked 7, as she lifted her skull helmet over her forehead.

"There's just something we need to see," said the second rag doll.

7 and 9 looked at each other and shrugged. Then they turned around 180 degrees. They heard both of the others gasp. They walked up behind 7 and 9 and examined the places where their respective numbers had been written.

"I knew it!" said the second one, "It is them!"

"You were right," the first one nodded.

7 and 9 turned back around, both looking rather confused.

"What do you mean?" asked 9. "Have you been expecting us?"

"Well, we have been expecting YOU specifically for a very long time," the first one answered, "It looks like it was merely a matter of time before you arrived."

"But how exactly did you know about us?" asked 9.

"We'll explain everything in time," said the second rag doll, "But first, I believe that introductions are in order."

"Indeed they are," the first rag doll smiled and held his hand out to 9. As 9 took it and shook it, 7 shook hands with the second rag doll. The first one said "Welcome to the Land of Refuge. My name is 56, Captain of Recon Squad Beta. This is 82, my Weapons Officer."


	6. The Arrival

Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been thinking up some of my own Stitchpunks. But making up unique 9 OC characters can be harder than I thought. If you need me to clarify some details about their appearance, just let me know (preferably in a review, though). Enjoy!

"My name is 9," said 9, still very stunned. Nodding to his left, he said "This is 7."

3 and 4 slowly and timidly approached the group. When 56 and 82 soon noticed them, 9 told them "That's 3 and 4."

3 and 4 abruptly rushed up to 56 and 82 and started cataloguing them.

"Ummm… what are you doing?" asked 82, who was startled by the twins' actions.

"They can't speak," 7 enlightened him, "They use flashing lights in their eyes to communicate. They also use them to study anything that's new to them."

"Peculiar," 56 commented. A moment later, 3 almost unfastened one of the clips on his chest. 56 took a step back in alarm and placed his hand over that clip. 9 and 7 just chuckled at the Captain's reaction. It reminded 9 of the time when 4 pulled down his zipper when she first met him.

As 3 and 4 continued to study them, 56 and 82 talked with 7 and 9.

"One of the contact operators back at Haven picked up your homing signal in the early morning two days ago," 56 told them as 3 studied his plastic helmet, "We were sent to meet you when you got here."

"How long have you been waiting?" inquired 7.

"Well, we headed out about two hours after we sent you that message," 82 thought aloud, "So, I suppose it was ever since that time. All of our team was with us then. We waited in this area until the next morning."

"Then **that **thing showed up," muttered 56, gesturing to the Boar-Beast's remains, "I swear, those pieces of junk always arrive when you least expect them to. We thought for sure that this area would be a safe rendezvous point."

"Well, we're all still alive," 9 pointed out. 7 looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He asked "Is everything alright, 7?"

"9, need I remind you what that machine would have done to us?" she said.

"No, I know full well what those machines are capable of, 7," 9 lightly shook his head. Then he asked 56 and 82 "What happened after the Beast showed up?"

"I ordered the rest of our team to go into hiding," 56 went on, "82 and I have been studying the machine's movements non-stop for the past thirty-three hours. I'm just glad we got here when we did."

"That makes all of us," smirked 9, "By the way, what exactly is this 'Haven?'"

"It's where we live," answered 82, "It's an area that the machines have never found, and it is home to our entire colony."

"Where is it?" asked 7.

"About one mile north of here," 56 explained, "You see, we wanted to meet you on the outskirts in case the machines showed up. If we told you to meet us right outside the main entrance, they could have followed you directly there."

"A wise strategy," 9 nodded, "If you do not mind, I would like to go to Haven as soon as possible."

"I cannot blame you," smirked 82, "Your journey must have been exhausting."

7 rolled her optics and stated flatly "You have no idea."

3 and 4 had finished cataloguing 56 and 82 about a minute earlier. 56 said "The rest of our squad is hiding a few hundred feet away from here. We need to meet up with them first. Then we shall proceed to Haven."

"Alright," said 9, "We'll follow you there."

3, 4, and 7 all nodded in agreement.

"But there is a quick matter I must attend to," 9 turned and walked over to the board of iron. There, he found the talisman the Boar-Beast had dropped. He kneeled down to pick it up, but just before he did, 56 and 82 ran toward him.

"Wait!" said 82 urgently, "Be careful with that thing!"

"Why?" asked 9. "The Beast's dead; it can't use it anymore."

"Those devices the machines use are very dangerous," said 56, "They've used them to kill dozens of us. There's no telling what they can do when not handled properly."

9 scoffed and said "Believe me; I know what they can do when they're not handled properly. But I also know HOW to handle them properly."

"How can you be sure?" asked 82, raising a stitch above his optic.

9 unzipped his zipper, pulled out his talisman, and showed it to 56 and 82. Both of them took a step back in alarm. But when they saw how steadily and easily 9 held the talisman, they slowly calmed down.

"You can take my word," 9 told them, "These things are not so hazardous by themselves."

56 and 82 looked at each other and shrugged.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," said 56 as 9 placed both of the talismans inside his chest and zipped it up again, "Now are you ready to go?"

9 picked up his lightstaff and got back onto his feet. He grinned and told them "Yes; we're ready to head out."

56 turned to his Weapons Officer and told him "82, handle the weapons."

"Yes, sir," 82 nodded and brought his helmet's visor back down over his face. He turned around and dashed back over to the largest rubble pile in the area. While he did this, 56 went over to the Boar-Beast's remains and extracted a few wires from the remnants. He tucked them away into a tight flap in his chest and returned to the others.

Looking over at 82, 56 then told 7 and 9 "When he's done, we'll get moving."

They all waited patiently for about a minute. Then 82 came back with the missile launcher strapped over his shoulder. He also had a few other weapons, such as an Ex-acto knife and a couple very small clubs, in his arms.

"Due to its size, we won't be able to transport the machine gun back to Haven before dark, sir," he reported to his Captain, "So I put it in that hidden cache below the rubble pile. But the missile launcher and everything else can be brought along without hindering us."

"Alright then," said 56, taking a few of the weapons from 82 to lighten his load. He strapped them onto his back, brought his visor down over his face, and said to everyone "Let's go."

56 ran past the piles of rubble to go north. 82 followed him close behind, armed with the Ex-acto knife.

7 placed her skull helmet down over her head and followed them. 3 and 4 went after her and 9 travelled at the back of the group.

7 made sure to stay very close to the two Stitchpunks in front of her. She was able to see their respective numbers written on their backs the whole time.

They ran in a straight line for about five hundred feet. Then 56 stopped and held his hand in the air to signal the others to stop as well.

There was a very large rubble pile in that vicinity. 56 led the group over to the pile and stood at its base. A sheet of thick iron covered up one part on the bottom of the pile. There was a calculator standing directly in front of it. 56 went up to the calculator, lifted up the visor on his helmet, and entered a certain sequence when the calculator was on "Alpha Lock" mode. Then he pressed "Enter."

Once he did this, the sheet of iron seemed to be pulled upward through a slot it was attached to in the pile. As a result, a secret entrance to the inside of the rubble pile was revealed.

The inside of the rubble pile was dark, but 9 and the others could distinctly hear movement further into it.

"Captain, is that you?" came a voice from inside the pile.

"Yes, we're back," 56 answered, "And we've got visitors."

"What kind of visitors?" asked a suspicious voice.

82 scoffed, lifted the visor on his helmet, and said "Come and see for yourself."

A few seconds later, seven more Stitchpunks came out of the rubble pile. Each of them was armed with at least one weapon, and they all looked like they were ready for any potential attack.

Once they were all out of the pile, 56 shut the entrance to the rubble pile.

"So, who are these 'visitors?'" one of them asked 56 and 82.

"They're right here," replied 82, gesturing to 3, 4, 7, and 9.

56 turned to his new friends and said "I'd like you to meet the rest of my team."

He introduced the other members of his squad one at a time. The first one he introduced was a male Stitchpunk. He was a little shorter than 7 and 9, but taller than 3 and 4. His skin was a type of deep mahogany burlap. His hands and feet were composed of the same elements and compounds as 9's hands and feet. He had a belt buckle on his chest to fasten his torso. A pair of scissors that had one blade and handle unscrewed from the one blade and handle was attached to his back as a pair of swords. He also had a very small pair of red goggles on his forehead.

56 placed his shoulder on this Stitchpunk and announced to the newcomers "This is 95. He's our Sentinel and Surveillance Manager. He keeps his optics open for any sign of the machines and alerts us when any are in close proximity."

95 gave a grin and a friendly nod to the four Stitchpunks in front of him. Each of them returned the gesture.

56 next went up to a female Stitchpunk. This one was about the same height as 9. She had skin made of dark tan burlap. Her hands and feet were made of manganese and copper. Her torso was fastened with two metallic buttons (the kind that "snap" open). She also had a small white piece of cloth tied around her forehead as a headband. A few inches' worth of the material hung down from the knot tied at the back of her head. She held a long, thin stick with a small but sharp blade tied on either end.

56 placed his hand on her shoulder and announced "This is 163, our Tactical Officer. She discusses available strategies and procedures with me to determine which ones are most ideal when given the circumstances."

163 looked tough, but she still smiled at the Stitchpunks in front of her to show she was pleased to meet them.

The following Stitchpunk was another male one. He was about two centimeters taller than 163. His light tan burlap skin was somewhat pale, but not as pale as 7's skin. His hands and feet were made out of lead and silicon. He wore a type of necklace made of thick wires. A silver medallion was attached to the necklace. Like 163, this Stitchpunk also had a small piece of cloth tied around his forehead as a headband with a few inches' worth of the cloth dangling behind him. The only difference was that his headband was gray. He held onto a long piece of wood with three small blades attached to one end. The middle one was larger and sharper than the other two. The way the blades were positioned made the stick look like a makeshift trident.

"This is 110," said 56 with a small hint of pride in his voice, "He's my Second-in-command. He takes charge of the team whenever I'm busy or needed elsewhere."

110 did not grin, but he saluted the others by bringing his open hand up to the side of his head. 7 and 9 returned the salute; 3 and 4 seemed somewhat intimidated by 110 (mostly because of his height).

The following Stitchpunk was female. She was about as tall as 7. Her skin was made of light brown burlap. She had some black thread that was sewn onto the back and top of her head, making it appear as though she had long black hair. Her hands and feet were made of bronze. The right side of her torso ran slightly over the left side of it and the two halves were fastened with very sturdy Velcro. At her right side, she carried a small pack. The pack was attached to a long strap that was half-wrapped around her left shoulder. She held her weapon – a Swiss army knife – over her shoulder.

"This is 71," 56 announced, "She's our Paramedic. Whenever someone is injured and needs treatment, she heals them."

71 appeared to be the friendliest member of the squad yet. She smiled at the new arrivals and said "We're very happy to meet you."

"Thank you," 7 smiled at her.

The next Stitchpunk was also female. She was about one centimeter shorter than 71. Her skin was composed of dark tan burlap. Her hands and feet were made of iron and manganese. On several places on her body, there were small pieces of her skin that were slightly curved. They appeared to be useful as pockets. She wore a backpack that contained many small tools over her shoulders. The backpack also held a steak knife, which was her weapon.

"This is 129," said 56, "She's our Technician. She creates useful devices we can use to improve our work performance. She also sometimes develops weapons that we can use against the machines."

"Well, every last one of them deserves to die," said 129 sternly. She then looked at the others and her icy demeanor faded to a more receptive one. She smiled at them like most of the others had done, which they happily returned as always.

The next Stitchpunk to be introduced was another male one. He was slightly taller than 3 and 4. His burlap skin was light gray in color. His wrists and legs were made of wood, but his hands and feet were made of iron and lead. His chest was fastened with three golden shirt cufflinks. On his back, he carried a large device that was almost as big as he was. He held onto it with two straps that went over his shoulders, like a backpack. He carried a small blade fitted with a pen cap for a handle at his side.

"This is 138," 56 introduced him, "He's our Communications Manager. He keeps us in constant contact with Haven on our away-missions."

138 nodded at the others and said "It's always a pleasure to meet new people."

"The feeling is mutual," 9 assured him.

Finally, 56 came to the last Stitchpunk. This one was a little taller than 9. His burlap skin was the color of light yellow. He had hands and feet made out of lead and iron. A large, opaque, slightly-curved black capsule was attached to his chest. He was armed with a makeshift archery set. For the bow, he held a partially-bended wishbone of a turkey that was tied with a sturdy rubber band from end to end. For the quiver, he had a small metal beaker strapped onto his back. For the arrows, he had dozens of short metallic rods that had been tipped with sharpened zirconium and fitted at the end with wilted leaves.

56 announced "Last but not least, this is 145, our Intelligence Officer. He studies the machines and learns about their strategies, habits, and movements. When he determines their strengths and weaknesses, he presents his findings to us so that we can have a better understanding of the machines."

145 grinned and told the others "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Thank you," said 9, "Thank you very much."

56 addressed his team next: "I would like you all to meet our arrivals from the First Sector."

He went over to 3, 4, 7, and 9. Then he introduced each one of them in turn: "This is 3, 4, 7, and 9."

When 9 was introduced, everyone either gasped in amazement or focused their attention on the Stitchpunk with the zipper.

"Is everything alright?" 9 asked in concern.

"I can't believe it," whispered 129.

"It's really him?" said 95.

"I knew this day would come!" said 145.

9 was quite surprised by everyone's reaction. He asked straight away "What is going on?"

"Again, we'll explain everything soon," 82 assured him, "But that will have to wait until we return to Haven. You see, even we may not have all the answers to the questions you would want to ask."

"That's perfectly alright with me," said 9, "But first, there is a matter that I need to discuss with 71."

"Of course, 9," the paramedic nodded, "What do you need?"

9 walked over to 4 and took her over to 71. He explained "On our way over here, 4 was wounded. A very sharp twig impaled her."

"Where exactly?" asked 71.

"Right here," said 9 as he placed his hand on the patch on 4's chest, "We do not know how to extract it without killing her. But if we leave it where it is, she'll die within a week. I don't suppose you would mind looking at it? Your medical knowledge may be superior to our own."

"I'd be happy to help," 71 smiled and led 4 off to a flat surface on the pile that she could lie down on. Once 4 was comfortable, 71 took off the pack on her body – which turned out to be a first aid kit – and took out a few tools. Then she began to inspect 4's wound.

While 71 went to examining 4's injury, everybody else talked with each other.

56 went over to his surveillance officer and asked him "95, do you have anything to report?"

"No, Captain," answered 95, "From the time you and 82 left to reach the rendezvous point, I've conducted hourly scans of this area. There's been no other sign of machine activity in this area since then."

"Well, just to be on the safe side, I want you to run one more scan before we go back to Haven," 56 ordered him.

"Right away, sir," 95 agreed. He brought his red goggles down over his optics and ran over to the rubble pile. He quickly climbed to the top of the pile and began observing the region visually.

"How does he conduct a scan?" inquired 7.

"95 has improved visual sensors in his optics," 82 explained, "He can see things none of us can. Those goggles he's wearing are infrared. They improve his vision even further by allowing him to notice changes in motion, sound, and depth."

"Fascinating," 7 remarked.

"By the way, 129, 145," 56 addressed the technician and intelligence officer, "I recall that you asked me to bring you back some of the Beast's circuitry if 82 and I managed to destroy it."

"No, we didn't say that, Captain," 145 shook his head, "We did not say 'IF you destroyed it.' We said 'WHEN you destroyed it.'"

56 scoffed and said as he reached into his chest "Well, I'm glad to know that you have faith in my ability."

"Captain, I think you misunderstand us; we trust in 82's ability," 129 said jokingly.

56 scoffed again and pulled out the wires he had collected from the Boar-Beast's remains. As he handed the wires over to 129 and 145, he told 129 them "I see that both of you took my advice and improved your senses of humor. Anyway, I hope these wires will satisfy your request."

"Thank you, Captain," said 129 as she took half of the wires and examined them, "These will do nicely. I can probably use them to create more power modulators."

"Thanks, Captain," said 145 as he took the other half of the wires and examined them as well, "I believe these will be sufficient. These wires alone should help me determine the way the Beast was operated, as well as how it moved."

56 smiled, folded his arms, and said "When your Captain delivers, he **delivers**."

At that same time, 3 was taking the opportunity to catalogue the seven new Stitchpunks as quickly as possible. 4 was also doing some cataloguing from where she was lying on the ground, but only her eyes were moving. The rest of her body was still at 71's instruction.

When 3 got to studying 138, the communications manager uneasily asked 9 "Ummm… What is he doing?"

"Whenever 3 encounters something or someone new, he uses flashing lights in his eyes to catalogue it," 9 explained, "4 does this as well, but cataloguing becomes much easier for them when they physically touch their specimens."

"I see…" said 138, still looking at 3 with uncertainty. He asked 9 "And why do they do this?"

"Neither of them can talk," answered 9, "They use the flashing lights in their eyes to communicate and to become more familiar with their surroundings."

"Well, that makes sense," said 138, finally calming down and allowing 3 to finish cataloguing him.

After that, 95 came back down the rubble pile and went over to 56. He pulled up his goggles, looked up at his Captain, and told him "Sir, I just confirmed it: there are no machines anywhere near this vicinity. We should have a clear run for home."

56 nodded in approval and went over to the communications manager. He told him "138, I want you to contact Haven and let them know that we've met up with the new arrivals and that we'll be coming home soon."

"Yes, sir," 138 took off the huge device on his back and brought it in front of him. He activated the device and pressed a few keys to compose a message. Once he sent the message, he waited. When a response came through, he pressed a few more keys. Then he deactivated the device, strapped it back onto his shoulders, and told 56 "Haven just acknowledged our communiqué, Captain. They'll be ready to receive us when we get back."

"Good work," 56 nodded at 138. He then went over to 110 and asked him "How's the team been holding up?"

"Everybody's stayed together since you and 82 headed out, Captain," 110 reported, "Everybody except I has been very concerned for your well-being."

"Why haven't you been concerned?" inquired 56, raising the stitches above his right optic.

"Because I don't have to be," 110 grinned down at his Captain, "I know full well that you can take care of yourselves."

"Or, it could be that you weren't concerned because if I died, you'd have my job," suggested 56.

At that, every member of 56's team burst out laughing, even 56 and 110. When the laughter subsided, 110 said "Captain, despite my 'aptitude,' as you call it, I don't think I could ever replace you."

"Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that," said 56 half-seriously, half-brightly.

While the Captain was speaking with his Second-in-command, 163 went over to talk with 7 and 9.

"I'm thrilled to meet both of you," she told them, holding out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to be here," said 7 as she shook the Tactical Officer's hand.

9 just nodded as he shook hands with 163. After a moment's silence, he asked "Why is every member of your team so excited to meet me?"

"I myself am not so certain about everything," admitted 163, "But when we get back to Haven, I'm sure that you'll find the answers you're looking for."

Everyone waited in silence as 71 finished examining 4's injury. When she was done, she put her tools back in her pack, stood up, and turned to the others.

"Well, any luck?" asked 7 hopefully.

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for her now," 71 responded grimly, as she put the strap of her medical kit over her shoulder again, "This is well within my ability to heal, but I do not have the equipment needed to safely extract the twig. Our only hope is to get 4 to Haven."

3 ran up to 4 and hugged her tightly. He did this out of fear, worry, and love for her. She hugged him in return.

9 looked at the twins, and then looked down at the ground sadly. But then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it belonged to 82.

The weapons officer assured 9 "Don't worry; we won't let her die."

56 nodded. Then he went to the center of the group and announced "Alright, people! We're moving out! Standard formation this time! 163, 110, scout ahead! 145, 95, cover our backs! 82, 71, 138, 129, monitor the sides! 3, 4, 7, 9, travel center with me! Everyone got that?"

71, 82, 95, 110, 129, 138, 145, and 163 all responded at the same time "We got that, sir!"

3 and 4 just nodded. 7 and 9 said "Got it." 82 smiled at them and, as he brought his visor down over his face, commented humorously "You **do** got it."

"Alright then," 56 called out, bringing his visor down over his face, "Let's move!"

110 and 163 ran at the front of the group. They were followed by everyone except 95 and 145, who ran at the very back of the group.

For about three thousand feet, the thirteen Stitchpunks ran without pausing for an instant. After three thousand feet, 4 collapsed. Due to the constantly growing pressure on her wound, she just could not bring herself to run anymore. 3 would have carried her for the rest of the way, but 56 offered to carry her instead.

His reasoning was "It was my job to meet you at the rendezvous. Therefore, it's also my job to see that everyone here makes it to Haven safely."

Both 3 and 4 agreed to his arrangement. They only had about eighteen hundred feet left to run anyway. 56 took 4 in his arms and ran just as quickly as he ran before. 3 remained running at his side the whole rest of the way.

Finally, after running for another eighteen hundred feet, 56 called out "Stop!"

Immediately, everyone in Recon Squad Beta stopped, as did 3, 4, 7, and 9. However, the last four were somewhat surprised on where they had ended up.

They stood facing a group of ruined buildings. There were a few piles of rubble in front of those buildings, and nothing else.

"This is Haven?" asked 9, hiding his disappointment.

56 chuckled and said "No, 9, don't worry; this dump isn't Haven."

"So, where is Haven?" queried 7.

"Just follow me," 56 led the group over to the largest rubble pile in the vicinity. They stopped at a wooden board that was lying at the base. The two tallest Stitchpunks – 110 and 145 – went over to the wooden board and lifted it out of its place, revealing a secret entrance to the inside of the pile.

56 turned to the others and grinned, saying "After you."

One-by-one, everyone entered the rubble pile. Once everyone was inside, 110 and 145 followed them, making sure to put the wooden board in exactly the same place it had been in before.

It was very dark and not very roomy inside the rubble pile. 9 activated his lightstaff so that everyone could see clearly.

82 lifted up his visor and said "9, move the light over here."

9 moved his lightstaff closer to the weapons officer. He saw 82 pulling on a metallic link that was attached to the ground. When he managed to pull it up, he pulled up a tin board as well.

"A trapdoor?" assumed 7.

"Exactly, 7," nodded 82, "Now, let's get down there."

There was a ladder at the entrance of the hole. This ladder was not created to scale; it was an actual ladder used by humans. It extended thirty feet to the ground below. Everyone went through the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder to get the ground. The last person down the hole – 129 – shut the trapdoor behind her.

56 placed 4 on his shoulder and slowly climbed down. He did not want to risk dropping her. 3 seemed to be very grateful for this gesture.

Soon, everybody reached the ground.

9 held his light around the new room, and he was amazed by its vastness.

56 put 4 back in the care of 3. Then he led the group over to a door that stood a few feet in front of them. He stood right in front of it and went to the side of the door. There were two devices there: an electrical number pad and a microphone.

56 lifted his visor to get a better look at the two devices. He entered a few numbers on the number pad, and then he said into the microphone "Liberation is at hand."

After a few seconds, a green light started flashing above the door and a voice said "Greetings, Captain 56. Welcome home."

A series of clinks from the other side indicated that the doors were being unlocked. After twenty seconds, the doors started sliding away from each other.

3, 4, 7, and 9 could only stare in awe at what was on the other side.

56 smiled at them and announced "Welcome to Haven."


	7. The Hospital Wing

3, 4, 7, and 9 were amazed at the sight. On the other side of that iron door, there was a massive hallway. It was about twenty-eight feet high, fifteen feet wide, and well over one hundred feet long. It was so long that 9 and the others could not see the wall opposite the entrance.

There were several piles of junk and rubble that were formed together. Each of them was formed around small Stitchpunk-sized doors. Many different types of equipment were being utilized. Dozens of miniature computer terminals were located throughout the hallway. Scores of Stitchpunks were moving around the hallway. Some were operating the equipment, some were studying information on computer terminals, some were moving between the small buildings, and some were just hanging around with friends.

"Come with us," 56 told 3, 4, 7, and 9. He and his team led the four newcomers through the streets of their small town.

As they walked down the center of the enormous hallway, 9 was left staring in awe at everything inside it. Many of the Stitchpunks stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the group that had just arrived.

3 and 4 had to restrain themselves from cataloguing every single object they observed. 7 had lifted up her skull helmet to give the new Stitchpunks a better first impression about her. 9 was so engrossed in studying his surroundings that he accidentally ran into a passing Stitchpunk.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," he told the other, trying to sound courteous.

"It's quite alright," the Stitchpunk reassured him.

As that Stitchpunk turned to walk away, 9 saw the number written on his back. It was 327!

"327?" said 9 in disbelief, "There are that many of us?"

"No, our colony is composed of far more than twice that amount," 56 told him, "Later, I can give you a tour of the facilities. Or, if I'm busy, I could find someone else to do it instead."

"That would be nice," 9 nodded, "But first, can we get 4 that treatment for her wound?"

"Absolutely," agreed 56, "I'll lead you to the hospital wing."

9 and his friends followed 56 to a door on the right side of the hallway. There was a small wooden sign above it that had "Hospital Wing" carved in large letters. 56 turned to every member of his team except 110 and told them "I think 110 and I can handle it from here. I want all of you to file your paperwork to your respective departments and then get some rest."

71, 82, 95, 129, 138, 145, and 163 saluted their Captain and walked off.

56 turned back to the door and walked inside. 3, 4, 7, 9, and 110 followed him in. On the other side, there was a waiting room. A few makeshift chairs were lined up along the walls of that small room. There was another door on the opposite wall. A female Stitchpunk was sitting at a makeshift desk next to that door, entering some data into a computer terminal.

56 walked up to the desk and said to the Stitchpunk there "Excuse me, 238."

She looked up and said courteously "Good evening, Captain 56. What can I do for you?"

"My team and I just returned from the outskirts," he told her, "We met up with four new arrivals. One of them is in need of immediate medical attention."

"Did you schedule an appointment?" inquired 238.

"No, we did not," admitted 56, "An accident just happened to occur."

"Very well," said 238, "I can check to see if someone is available."

She studied a file on her monitor for a moment, and then she told the others "We have more than enough healers available for everyone accounted for."

Then 238 pressed a button on her console and said into a speaker on her desk "Dr. 16, Captain 56 has just returned."

"Alright, send them in, 238," said a friendly feminine voice on the other end.

238 pressed another button on her console. The metal door next to her desk opened up vertically. "Have a nice day," she told them.

"Thank you," said 56, grinning.

The six Stitchpunks went through the door one at a time (Except for 3 and 4. The former helped the latter through the door). They all walked through a short, dimly-lit hallway. At the end of the hallway was another door. On the other side of that door, there was a large room. This room was about fifteen feet high, thirteen feet wide, and twenty feet long.

There were many miniature beds in the room built specifically for Stitchpunks. They were each eight inches long and three inches wide. There were at least three inches of space in-between them. There were six columns of beds lined up in twenty-five rows.

Only a few of the beds were occupied. Some Stitchpunks were being treated for various injuries, such as damaged optics, torn burlap, and broken stitches.

56 led the group to the center of the room. There, they met up with another female Stitchpunk. 56 briefly told her what he had just told 238. When he was done, she looked at the four new arrivals and asked them "Which one of you is 4?"

3 brought his twin over to her. 56 told the others "This is 16, our Head Doctor."

16 was about one centimeter taller than 7. She had hands and feet made of iron and copper. Her burlap skin was a dark tan. A small, very thin piece of tin was attached to her torso, making it seem like she had a small door on her chest.

16 leaned down next to 4 and gently placed her hand on her patch. She asked her "Does it hurt when I do that?"

4 weakly shook her head. 16 applied a little more pressure onto 4's patch and asked her "How about now?"

4 started squiriming in pain and nodded her head vigorously. 16 quickly moved her hand away from the patch. She looked up at 9 and the others and told her "The twig is deeper than you thought. It almost penetrated one of the most critical spots in her body."

"Can it be removed without killing her?" inquired 7 anxiously.

"Yes, of course," answered 16, "But we'll have to conduct an operation immediately."

She turned around and called over two more Stitchpunks. She told them about 4's situation and gave them some instructions. The two of them gently took 4 and gave her a helping hand each. They led her over to a door at the side of the room labeled "Operation Room."

16 turned back to 3, 7, and 9. 9 asked her "How long will this take?"

"An hour at the very least," 16 answered, "Maybe two. It shouldn't be more than three. And, I can assure you that 4 will survive."

"Thank you," 7 and 9 said simultaneously. 3 was even more grateful; he hugged 16. She was slightly alarmed at first, but then she hugged him back.

Before going through the door to the Operation Room, she told 3, 7, and 9, "Because you're new arrivals, each of you will have to undergo a brief health examination."

"Why's that?" asked 7.

"It's just a standard procedure," 16 elucidated, "We want to make sure each and every member of our colony is in pristine condition. In addition to that, if any Stitchpunk should suffer some damage in the future, we will know the differences between 'before' and 'after,' if you understand what I mean. That makes it much easier to remedy the problems."

"That does make plenty of sense to me," 9 agreed.

16 went through the door to the Operation Room and closed it behind her.

Six other medical Stitchpunks came over to 3, 7, and 9. The three of them were escorted over to three vacant beds. Two of the medical Stitchpunks went to each of them and started conducting a standard health inspection on them.

One of them slowly pulled down 9's zipper, but then he and his colleague jumped back in alarm.

9 sat up and asked him "What's wrong?"

One of them pointed to the inside of 9's body. 9 looked down and saw the two Talismans. He quickly realized why they were freaking out. They knew what the Talismans were capable of, but they were did not know that they were harmless when handled properly.

9 briefly explained this to the medical Stitchpunks. When he was done, the two of them continued examining him.

"His gears all seem to be in pristine condition," one of them commented.

"He's definitely not suffering any damage from rust," remarked the other one.

9 continued to lie there while the two Stitchpunks examined him. When they were done, they told him that there was virtually nothing wrong with him.

Soon, 3 and 7's exams were finished as well. The two medical Stitchpunks that had examined 3 went over to 7 and 9 to speak with them. One of them told them "We noticed he has no voice box."

"That's because his body is incompatible with virtually every type there is," explained 7, "4 cannot speak either."

"Then how do they communicate?" inquired the other medical Stitchpunk that had examined 3.

"They use flashing lights in their eyes," 7 answered them, "It took me a long time to learn their code, but I managed to decipher most of it."

The two medical Stitchpunks nodded in interest.

9 sat down on a bed and looked around the room. He still could not believe how this entire colony had been here without him and the others knowing about it.

56 looked over at 9 and noticed the expression on his face. He asked him "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes, of course," 9 replied, "It's just that… this is incredible!"

"I know what you mean," agreed 56, "I remember when there were still only a handful of us. This place was nothing more than a deserted bomb shelter at the time. Though, I must admit, it was much safer than where those humans were staying."

This statement caught 9's attention. He looked up at 56 and queried "What do you mean 'those humans?'"

"A few years ago, a few scores of humans came together to seek refuge from the machines," 56 told him, "They resided underground in the basements of the buildings above us."

"Are they the humans that-?" 9 began.

"Created us?" finished 56, "Yes, they were. But if you want the full version of the story, you will have to speak with 11."

"Who's that?" asked 9.

"She's our leader," said 56, "As she always speaks with new arrivals, she will speak with you anyway. But whenever she summons you, you would have the opportunity to ask all of your questions."

"I look forward to meeting her," said 9.

For a while, no one spoke a word. Everybody waited for 16 to come out and tell them that 4's operation was finished.

7 soon got a little bored of just waiting and decided to start a conversation.

She turned to 56 and 110 and said "So, 56, 110, tell us about your team."

"What do you mean by that?" asked 56, "What would you like to know?"

"Well, tell us about your squads themselves." 7 specified her question, "Are all the squads basically the same?"

"Oh, no," 56 shook his head and said "Each squad has a different required level of experience for entry. It's similar to the human army; you start out small, but you slowly work your way up."

"So, the more experience you have, the higher you are moved up to a better skilled squad?" assumed 7.

"Correct," nodded 110.

"Where does Recon Squad Beta lie?" asked 9.

"By standards, Recon Squad Beta is Haven's second top-ranked platoon," 56 explained, "Everybody in my team has worked very hard to earn his or her current position."

"I assume you have to accept some additional responsibilities as you rise in standing and authority?" said 9.

"Yes, we do," said 56, "My team is usually assigned some of the most dangerous assignments, such as patrolling the border of the Land of Refuge, scouting inhospitable areas of the surface for useful supplies, and fighting off the most aggressive of the machines."

"Do you often get tasked with meeting new arrivals and escorting them back to Haven?" asked 9.

"No, that job is usually given to other groups," said 110, "We were assigned to rendezvous with you just because of your beacon's point of origin."

"How do you mean?" asked 9.

"Your message was sent here from the First Sector," 110 clarified, "The humans that created us told us about you, and how you 'hold the keys to the future.' At least, it was something like that."

"So, let me guess," said 7, "When you picked up our homing signal and sent out the message, your superiors wanted to guarantee our safe arrival. Therefore, they sent their second-best team out to ensure this."

"Correct again," said 56, "Truthfully, we all thought it was going to be quite boring. But it was actually quite exhilarating."

"That's easy for you to say, Captain," remarked 110, "You and 82 had all the fun. You not only got to pursue a new machine, but you got to destroy it, too!"

"That is true, but at least we all got outside for a while," 56 commented.

"If your team is the second-best squad, then what is the top squad in this community?" asked 9.

"That would be Recon Squad Alpha," answered 56, "They're the best units we have in our fighting division. They only get assigned the most dangerous and confidential of missions. On occasion, they're led by 12 himself."

"Who's 12?" queried 7.

"He's the head of our fighting force," replied 110, "He's also 11's Captain of the Guard and second-in-command. You'll meet him later on, as well."

The four of them continued to talk for several more minutes. After that time, 16 came back out the door to the Operation Room and led 4 outside.

When 3 saw 4, he ran over to her and embraced her tightly. She returned the embrace warmly. 7 and 9 looked at each other and gave a sigh of relief.

"We managed to remove the twig and repair the damage done to her internal gear," 16 told 3, 7, and 9, "She's perfectly alright now. However, I would recommend that she avoid running for a day or two to ensure that her gears can fully retain their synchronization."

3, 7, and 9 thanked 16 for her work. Then they left the Hospital Wing with 110 and 56. The latter of them was about to offer 3, 4, 7, and 9 a tour of Haven, but just as they walked out the door of the waiting room, 238 stopped them.

She told them "Captain 56, I just got a message from 11. She wants an audience with you and the newcomers at your earliest convenience, if not immediately."

"Alright, thank you for notifying me, 238," said 56.

As 238 went back to her desk, 56 turned to 9 and told him "Looks like you're about to get your answers."


	8. What Lies In The Past

The six Stitchpunks stepped out of the Hospital Wing, arriving back in the giant hallway.

"Follow us," 56 told 3, 4, 7, and 9, "We'll take you to 11's Throne Room."

The group walked down the long corridor. Dozens of Stitchpunks on the sides of the room stopped whatever they were doing for a few moments to catch of glimpse of them.

9 carried his lightstaff at his side. He noticed a couple Stitchpunks whispering to a few others while looking in his general direction. It made him feel a little uncomfortable, as they seemed to be focused on the number written on his back.

"I notice that every room in this compound has a name," he commented to 56 and 110, "Does this corridor have a name, as well?"

"Yes, we call it 'The Great Mall,'" replied 110, "We give it this name because the front room of every major division can be accessed from it."

"Fascinating," said 7.

"Is there anything we should know about 11 or anyone else before we meet her?" inquired 9.

"Like what?" said 56.

"Well, what do we call her?" 9 specified, "Does she have an explicit designation or rank?"

"Her official title – if she had one – would be 'Director,'" answered 56, "But most of the time, people call her 'Mistress,' 'ma'am,' 'milady,' or just '11.'"

"Alright, thanks for letting me know that," said 9, "I just don't want to feel awkward by not even knowing what to call this colony's leader."

They walked on in silence until they reached the end of the corridor. There they came to two massive doors with the sign 'Throne Room' written above them. There were two Stitchpunks armed with spears standing guard in front of the doors.

"May we help you, Captain 56?" asked one of them.

"Yes, we were just summoned by 11," answered 56, "She wanted to speak with us immediately."

The two guards looked at each other; then they turned back to 56. The second guard said "Go on in."

The two of them turned to the doors and slowly pushed them open. Once they were fully open, the six Stitchpunks stepped inside. When they were all in, the guards pulled the doors shut again.

The throne room was another large room. It was twelve feet long, twelve feet wide, and twelve feet tall.

There were a few more guards against each of the walls. To the right of the room, there was a large round table with several chairs. To the left of the room, there was another round table that was glowing on the top. At the end of the room, there was a platform that was six inches above the ground. In the center of that platform, there was a second smaller platform that held a makeshift chair two inches above the first platform. A miniature flight of stairs was at the base of the chair, and it led all the way to the ground.

There were three Stitchpunks on that platform. Two of them were standing next to the chair, one on either side. The third was sitting in the chair.

The Stitchpunk to the right of the chair was a male one. He had light tan burlap skin, and he was almost as large as 8. His hands and feet were made of iron and bronze. The tips of his fingers were glowing slightly. He had a shoelace tied in double knots over the center of his torso. He held in one hand a sturdy dowel that had a metallic ball bearing attached to either end.

The Stitchpunk to the left of the chair was also male. He had dark mahogany burlap skin; his height was about the same as 110's height. His hands and feet were made of wood and manganese. The left half of his front torso was placed over the right half; it was fastened by three formal shirt buttons. All three of the buttons were connected by a piece of copper wire.

The Stitchpunk sitting in the chair was female. Her burlap skin was very white, but not pale like 7's skin. Her hands and feet were made of copper and zirconium. In the center of her chest, there was a small lens made out of translucent high-grade aluminum. On her head, she wore a headpiece that oddly resembled a tiara. The headbands were made of iron filaments, as were the small adornments. There was a very small blue ruby in the center of the top part of the headpiece.

56 and 110 walked ahead of the group and stopped walking when they were just short of the steps to the platform. The two of them brought their right arms up to their chests and slightly bowed their heads for a moment. When they came back up, 56 spoke "You wished to see us, ma'am?"

The seated Stitchpunk nodded and said in an authoritative yet genial voice "Yes, Captain 56. I understand that you and your team returned to Haven a few hours ago from your rendezvous."

"That is correct, Mistress," said 56. He gestured to the four Stitchpunks behind him and said "These are the ones that arrived from the First Sector."

56 and 110 stepped aside to allow 3, 4, 7, and 9 to step forward. 11 sat up in her chair a little more and studied them. Then she asked "Which one of you is 9?"

None of them moved at first. Then 9 stepped forward, brought his right arm up to his chest, and bowed his head slightly. That whole time, he held his lightstaff in his left hand. When he brought his head back up, he said "I am, Mistress."

11 nodded and took some more time to study 9 especially. She rubbed the side of her head with her left hand, as if she was thinking.

Finally, she asked him "Where are the others?"

9 did not know how to answer this question. "What others?"

"You arrived here from the First Sector," she explained, "We assumed that there would be nine of you. Yet I only see you four in front of me."

9 sighed and looked down at the ground. Without looking up, he said "You are correct, Mistress. There were nine of us originally. But in the land we were created – what you call this 'First Sector' – there were many machines like the ones above us. They hunted us relentlessly. My three companions here and I are the only ones left."

11 and the two Stitchpunks next to her seemed alarmed to hear this answer. 9 waited while the three of them whispered amongst themselves for a minute or so. When they were finished with this, 11 asked 9 "Who are your companions?"

9 gestured to the twins and announced "These two are 3 and 4, our historians."

As always, 3 and 4 were very timid in the presence of strangers. 11 was certainly no exception, as she was a figure of power and authority.

7 stepped up to 9's left. She had her spear in her right hand and her skull helmet was still resting on her forehead.

9 gestured to his left and said "And this is 7."

"Your bodyguard?" assumed 11.

7 glared at her and exasperatingly stated "His mate."

9 looked back and her and smirked. Then he turned back to 11 and said "She's basically the warrior of our group."

11 nodded again and sat up in her chair a little more. Then she told them "I am Director 11, the leader of this colony."

She pointed to the tall Stitchpunk standing to her left and said "This is Field Marshal 12, my right-hand and the commander of our military personnel."

12 stood up straight and saluted the new arrivals on the ground. As they returned the salute, 11 gestured to the large Stitchpunk standing to her right and said "And this is Minister 15, my chief aide and our record-keeper."

15 smiled down at the newcomers to express his pleasure in their visit.

11 stood up and held her hand out to her right. 15 handed her the dowel he had been holding. Using it as a staff, 11 walked down the flight of stairs and approached the group of newcomers. When she got close enough, 9 could see that she was almost as tall as him. She was just a few millimeters shorter.

11 stood a few inches in front of 9. Then she held out her hand to him. He slowly reached for it, and when he took it, 11 shook his hand vigorously.

After the handshake, 11 said "I officially welcome you to Haven."

All 9 could say was "Thank you." But he said it very nervously, as if he was needlessly worried that he would make a bad first impression.

"I imagine you have many questions," commented 11.

"You are correct," 9 told her, "However; I believe that all of them can be summarized into just six questions."

"What would those questions be?" inquired 11.

9 answered her "They would be: 'How did the humans create all of you?', 'How did they **survive** long enough to create you?', 'How is it there are machines in this area?', 'How did you build this entire community?', 'What is your purpose here?', and…"

9 paused for a moment, as if he was hesitating.

"Go on," 11 coaxed him, "What is your last question?"

"Well, I noticed that there is me, then you, then him," said 9 as he pointed out 12 when he said "him." "The three of us are 9, 11, and 12 respectively. What happened to 10?"

11 looked down in sadness, as if she was dreading that question.

Thinking quickly, 9 said "Oh, I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's quite alright," she reassured him, even though she seemed just slightly distraught.

After this, she led 9 and his companions over to the glowing table on the left side of the room. After everybody gathered around it, 11 said "I could tell you the answers to all those questions, but I believe it would take less time to just show you instead."

She looked up at the large Stitchpunk on top of the platform and said "15, if you would…"

"Yes, of course, milady," 15 replied as he walked down the flight of stairs to the ground. 12 went down the stairs after him. The two of them then joined the others at the glowing table.

"Where would you like me to start?" 15 asked 11.

"The very beginning," she answered, "Right after the first machines were created, and right before the Machine Wars began."

15 stood in front of a very small hole at the side of the table. He lifted up one of his glowing fingers and inserted it into the hole. It fit perfectly. Then, 15 stood perfectly still for a few moments, as if he was entranced.

"What is he doing?" 7 whispered to 11.

"As record-keeper, 15 has all our most important archives downloaded into his internal mechanism," 11 enlightened her, "He is able to copy the records and transfer them onto this table via the usage of his fingers."

"How does that work?" asked 9.

"This table has a built-in hologram projector," answered 11, "The records are displayed using that apparatus."

"Ah, that makes perfect sense," said 9.

"Here we go!" 15 abruptly spoke out, "I found the original records."

"Alright, bring them up," 11 ordered him.

As 15 brought the projector online, 11 leaned over to 9 and told him "All of your questions can be traced back… to this man."

When she spoke those last three words, the projector produced a three-dimensional image of a familiar face. 9 quickly realized it was the face… of the Chancellor!

"Him!" shouted 9, looking angrily into the projector.

11 looked at 9 and remarked "You know this man?"

"Yes, I do," 9 spoke with a note of ire in his voice, "He's the reason humanity was annihilated in the first place."

"That may be true," 11 stated, "But he's also the reason we are here. And you should know that humanity was not entirely eradicated."

"What do you mean?" asked 9.

"Just watch the projector," said 12. That was the first time he had spoken to 9. He spoke in a rather gruff voice.

9 decided to quiet down so that 15 could present the archives on the projector without any further interruption.

…

The full extent of the information passed on by the projectors would be too complicated and vague, even if one were to go into detail. Instead, I shall tell you of the actual events that happened in the past.

Everything you are about to read was covered in the presentation.

Shortly after the Chancellor's country declared war on a neighboring country, the opposing country was taking heavy losses. The machines proved to be very useful in battle.

However, it was not long before the other great powers of the world learned of the deadly machines. Several countries sent in spies to study them closely.

Eventually, the very country that the Chancellor declared war on managed to get ahold of a copy of the blueprints of the Fabrication Machine. The spies delivered them to their home country's military headquarters. From there, their greatest minds worked diligently yet quickly to make a second Fabrication Machine.

However, this one was much larger than the original. After they got the second B.R.A.I.N. to create another army of machines, the people sent them into battle.

That was the biggest mistake anyone could have made.

By that point in time, the machines on both sides of the war already held personal grudges against humanity for treating them like servants. But when the two sides of machines were forced to face each other in battle, they reached their breaking point.

All the machines absolutely refused to destroy another machine, even if they were created to be enemies. They would not destroy members of their own kind. It was at that very moment that the machines turned against humanity.

Instead of fighting and destroying each other, the machines wiped out every human soldier on that first battlefield. Then all of them made it their goal to exterminate the rest of humanity.

The machines returned to their countries of origin and targeted not only soldiers, but civilians as well.

When the Chancellor learned of this, he needed someone to blame. So he chose the Scientist as his scapegoat, and declared him as an enemy of state.

However, the war against machines managed to unite all of humanity together. But more machines were created at a very rapid pace. More humans perished every hour after the Machine Wars began.

Eventually, after some sixty million people had died, the Chancellor had an abrupt change of heart. He came to the Scientist and begged for his forgiveness. The Scientist did forgive him, and offered him a solution to stop the machines and preserve humanity.

At that point, the Chancellor was willing to do anything to save humanity. He had already managed to round up over ten thousand people and sent them to nine different bomb shelters, but that would not be a good enough solution; eventually they would all run out of supplies. However, the Scientist was prepared.

In addition to being well-versed in biology, physics, chemistry, and many other forms of sciences, the Scientist also studied the ancient tradition of alchemy. He had examined life down to its most fundamental and most complex forms. He had even discovered that the human soul itself could be harnessed and passed on to inanimate objects.

The Scientist subsequently created one hundred alchemic talismans in his lifetime. Only one of them had ever been used before: the first one, which had been used to power the first Fabrication Machine. No one who was still alive at that point was certain what had been used to power the second Fabrication Machine, but it was definitely a very potent power source.

When the Scientist was finished creating the final talismans, he explained his plan to the Chancellor: the Scientist would keep only one of the talismans – the first one – for himself. The Chancellor would take the remaining ninety-nine and deliver them to the nine bomb shelters; eleven would go to each one. When he was finished, he was to contact the Scientist.

The last bomb shelter the Chancellor came to was one of the largest ones on the continent. It was also deemed the safest one by far.

When the Chancellor contacted the Scientist, the latter explained his plan. He would create several rag dolls by hand and use the talisman to transfer parts of his soul into each of them. After he created the first eight Stitchpunks, he left a message for the ninth one, as he intended for him to be humanity's real savior.

Just before creating the ninth rag doll, he contacted the Chancellor again and gave him his last set of instructions: each bomb shelter was to select exactly one hundred volunteers from its one thousand plus inhabitants. Each of those volunteers would use the talismans given to them to transfer their souls into more rag dolls. Once this was accomplished, the rag dolls were to all come together at the largest bomb shelter, which happened to be in the center of all the shelters, geographically speaking.

The Scientist also spoke of how the ninth rag doll would hold the keys to the future. No one was entirely sure what he meant, but each of the bomb shelters made a note of this.

Once they lost contact with the Scientist, the surviving humans went to work creating more rag dolls. The Scientist had instructed them to keep a log of how many they created, as well as the order in which they were given life. Each Stitchpunk's name was to be the number in which it was created.

Not many people at the bomb shelters were very good at creating burlap, but as luck would have it, many of the Scientist's assistants and subordinates were at each of the shelters. As it turns out, the Scientist had not created the Fabrication Machine on his own. He had developed the blueprints, but the only part he had actually created was the machine's head. The tentacles were made by his subordinates.

At any rate, the scientists would be the ones that created the Stitchpunks, and the volunteers would transfer their souls into them. The first nine rag dolls (after 1 through 9, of course) were created by the Chancellor himself. The Chancellor intended to transfer his soul into each of them. He felt that by doing this, he would have finally redeemed himself.

Among the refugees at the main bomb shelter were the Scientist's grown son and the Chancellor's grown daughter. Both men had lost their wives during the war, but their children had survived. Just before the Chancellor transferred his soul into 18, he gave his daughter and the Scientist's son a recording that had been given to him by the Scientist when they had last met. He told them that they were to only play the recording once the nine hundred volunteers had transferred their souls into nine Stitchpunks each.

Many of the volunteers were those that were sick or dying. Fortunately, all of them managed to create nine rag dolls each. Over the course of the next couple months, dozens of Stitchpunks were created every day.

Finally, when all nine hundred volunteers had "paid their dues," as the Scientist said, the Scientist's son and the Chancellor's daughter played the recording. It gave them explicit instructions to have all the remaining human inhabitants at the shelters gather at a secure location away from the machines. Evidently, it was a location that the machines were unaware of.

The bomb shelters were to be completely emptied. All except the main one, that is. All the Stitchpunks from the other eight bomb shelters were to travel to the main bomb shelter. In order to ensure their safety, they were to be instructed to only travel a handful at a time. That way, they all would gradually come to the main bomb shelter without tipping off the machines.

Just before the humans at the main bomb shelter departed, the Scientist's son spoke with 10.

10 was a male Stitchpunk that had light brown burlap skin. His hands and feet were made of wood and iron. He had the handles of a few thumbtacks attached to his skin with copper wires. His height was approximately the same as 9's.

He told him "10, you are the oldest Stitchpunk amongst the hundreds that have been created. It has been decided that you will be the leader of them all. Do you accept this responsibility?"

"Yes, sir; I do," 10 had answered, with almost no hesitation, "What do you want me to do?"

"Make your home in the deeper parts of the shelter," said the Scientist's son, "Stay hidden from the machines, but at the same time, try to find a way to destroy them. When you have managed this, come find us."

"But we do not even know where you are going," remarked 10, "How can we find you?"

"You will, I assure you," said the Scientist's son, "Just remember; '9 holds the keys to the future.'"

Shortly after that, almost all of the human inhabitants at the main bomb shelter left. But a few of the scientists remained behind to assist the Stitchpunks in their work. They were never contacted by the other humans again.

Over time, the Stitchpunks from the other bomb shelters came to the main one. They made sure to carefully transport the talismans with them.

The grand majority of the Stitchpunks arrived safely at Haven, but the rest of them were not so lucky. Several travelling parties were ambushed by machines. The machines actually managed to acquire most the talismans by the present day, and now they were using them against the Stitchpunks.

Now, the Stitchpunks lived in the underground area known to them only as Haven. Overtime, rumors of this "9" grew stronger. He was the only one that virtually everyone in the colony had heard of.

They just spent years in hiding. They fought off the machines and waited; waited for 9 to come to them.


	9. Haven

Note: Sorry for the overlong wait. I've been extraordinarily busy this month (Going off to college next month).

The projector had been the same type the Scientist had used to leave 9 a message in the music box. 9 almost felt as if he was experiencing a prolonged déjà vu.

When it was done going over the events of the past, 7 and 9 were left speechless. 3 and 4 would have been, as well, but they were always speechless.

"Now it all makes sense," 9 spoke quietly, "The machines turned against humanity because humans were pressuring them into destroying other machines."

"Exactly," nodded 11, "Why did you think they turned against humanity before now?"

"We simply assumed the machines held a strong grudge against them," answered 9.

"A grudge may have seemed like enough for **humans** to lose control," said 12, "But that was not enough for the machines to turn hostile."

"And once they did turn hostile, all hell broke loose," said 56.

9 was still amazed by the number of Stitchpunks that the humans had created. He queried "How many Stitchpunks are in this colony?"

"As of right now, including you and your three friends here, there are nine thousand, two hundred and sixty-three," answered 15.

If Stitchpunks had lips, 9 would have given an impressed whistle when he heard that number.

7's optics shot up. She spoke "If I remember correctly, each of the nine bomb shelters was requested to select one hundred volunteers, and each volunteer was required to transfer his or her soul into nine Stitchpunks."

"That is correct," responded 11.

"But then we'd be talking about eight thousand, one hundred Stitchpunks total," 7 pointed out, "Plus there's me and the other members of the original nine."

"You are correct, 7," 11 nodded.

"So, where did the remaining one thousand, one hundred and fifty-four come from?" 7 inquired.

"We'll explain that later," 11 assured her, "It would be too complicated to go into that at the moment."

"Very well," 9 agreed.

11 looked over at 9 and stated "I assume that all of your questions were answered by this video?"

"All except the last one," 9 replied, "It didn't explain why 10 is not here."

"I myself am not too well-versed in that answer," 11 told him, "If you want full details, ask 12."

Everyone turned to the Field Marshal. He explained to 9 and the others "As the projection suggests, 10 was indeed the leader of our colony for our first few years. This was the time when the other bomb shelters sent their inhabitants over, one group at a time. When the final group was scheduled to arrive, 10 wanted to welcome them himself. I strongly advised against it, but he insisted. So I agreed to let him go, but on the condition that Recon Squad Alpha and I accompany him."

12 paused for a moment and said angrily "Dumbest mistake I've ever made, on my part."

"What happened next?" asked 7.

"Well, he, Recon Squad Alpha, and I went to meet with the travelling group at the rendezvous point," 12 continued, "We did meet up with the group, but shortly after, we were attacked by machines."

3, 4, 7, and 9 were all very interested now. 9 coaxed 12 "Go on."

"A fight ensued; a few of the new arrivals were killed by the machines, but we put up a good fight." 12 recalled, "10 himself managed to destroy two machines. But at one point, his back was turned on another one of them. The machine grabbed him, brought him up, and held one of those damned talismans up to his head. Then-"

"You don't have to tell us the rest," 9 interrupted, "I know what those talismans can do to us; I witnessed it happen to 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8."

12 slowly nodded and said with a note of sorrow in his voice "I was there when one of those monstrosities sucked out our leader's soul. I've had to live with that guilt for several years."

"We're sorry to hear that," 7 assured him.

"Oh, don't say that!" 12 yelled. "I don't deserve pity or sympathy!"

"He's taken all the blame for the incident," 11 enlightened the others, "Even though he claims it was 10's idea to join him and the search party."

"That's understandable," 9 nodded.

"Let's just say that I became the colony's leader at the end of the day," 11 decided.

"Alright, we can leave it at that," 7 agreed.

"By the way, I do recall seeing a clip where a few humans stayed behind here," 9 stated.

"That is true," said 110, "There were about twenty-five of them, if I remember correctly. They stayed here to do research on the machines and find out a way to destroy them."

"A few squads and I were assigned to assist them in their work," 12 pointed out.

"Are they still here, by any chance?" asked 9 hopefully.

"Sadly, no," responded 12, "After many, many weeks of failed experiments, dismal test results, and impractical investigational data, they decided that their efforts were in vain, and that we would have better luck on our own."

"Subsequently, they decided to create more Stitchpunks and transfer their souls into them, as well," 56 went on for 12, "We got another two hundred and twenty-five Stitchpunks out of them, but we were still no closer to finding a solution to destroying the machines."

All 9 could do was nod. He was trying to suppress his deep fascination.

"Are you alright, 9?" asked 11 after around a minute of silence.

"This is all just so… incredible," he told them, "Just a few days ago, I was under the impression that 3, 4, 7, and I were the only life forms left on Earth. But to discover that there are over nine thousand more Stitchpunks on this planet – that was beyond my imagination."

11 just smiled at him. She said "I assume this compound greatly impresses you, as well."

"Indeed it does," 9 agreed.

"Would you like a tour of it?" 11 offered.

"Yes, please," 9 answered.

11 stepped closer to him and told him "Normally, I have someone else give out the tours. But because it's **you **that arrived, I'd like to give you the tour myself."

"Milady, are you sure of that?" 12 interjected.

"Of course I'm sure, 12," 11 sharply remarked, "I know the layout of this city just as well as anyone else."

12 shrugged and said passively "If you insist."

110 and 56 stepped up and the latter of them requested "May we join you, Mistress?"

"If you wish to, Captain," 11 responded, "I would enjoy the extra company."

11 led the way to the door of the room. She was followed by 3, 4, 7, 9, 56, and 110. Two guards posted at the entrance of the Throne Room stepped up to the doors and pulled them open. Once the doors were all the way open, the group of seven exited the Throne Room.

As they walked, 9 looked to his left and his right. Right next to the Throne Room, there was another hallway that ran perpendicular to the Great Mall. It went on for dozens of yards in either direction.

"What's down these hallways?" he asked.

"On your right are the Dormitories," 56 replied, "On your left are the Training Facilities, the Audience Chambers, and – at the very end of the hallway – the Sacred Ground."

"'Sacred Ground?'" said 7.

"We'll get to them later," said 11 as she came to the first door on the right of the Great Mall. A sign labeled "Library" was located directly above the door. 11 opened the door and entered the front room. There were a few Stitchpunks sitting at desks, working on computer consoles.

11 walked up to the main desk. The Stitchpunk seated there had been engrossed in studying his computer terminal. When 11 approached him, he looked up.

"Oh, good evening, Director," he said, a little surprise in his voice, "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

"You should anticipate that anyone will come here, 264," she advised.

"Quite so," he concurred.

11 turned to 3, 4, 7, and 9 and told them "This is 264, our head librarian."

264 shook hands with each of the new arrivals and told them "Everything you'd ever want to know about humanity and Earth can be found in the room behind me."

3 and 4 looked at each other and smirked. They appeared to be containing their excitement.

The next room was the same size as the Hospital Wing. There were large shelves lining the two side walls. The books on the shelves were very small; only large enough for Stitchpunks to handle. Mechanical scaffolds that could travel vertically aligned the bookshelves. Those scaffolds allowed the Stitchpunks to search through the shelves and make their selection. The center of the room contained a multitude of makeshift chairs, where several Stitchpunks were reading either books or information on computers. There were a few other shelves of books that were organized in the center of the room around the chairs. Several Stitchpunks were browsing through that section. A circular desk that seated ten Stitchpunks was found in the center of the room. At the end of the room, there was a miniature printing press that was connected to a computer.

3 and 4 seemed to be ecstatic. It had been almost three days since the two of them had read a book, and now they were being presented with an entire inventory of literature.

9 noticed their behavior, and he whispered to 7 "I think they'll be spending a lot of time here."

She nodded her agreement.

11 stopped near the center of the Library and announced "In this room, we are given the opportunity to learn about science, humor, romance, mystery, horror, and adventure. Virtually every recorded work of literature written by humanity is found in this room."

"How long did it take you to build all this?" asked 7.

"At least two years, from what I recall," answered 56, "Putting up the shelves was easy. The scaffolds and the printing press were the especially hard parts."

"How are the books organized?" inquired 9.

"The ones against the wall are all works of fiction," 110 explained, "They are first divided into genres, and then they are alphabetized by author. The ones on the ground are non-fiction. They are pretty much organized in the same manner, except they are divided into sections."

"What is the printing press for?" asked 9.

"We copy the text from the original book by using a computer, and then we are able to create a smaller version of the books to match our scale," 11 elucidated.

"There must be thousands of books in here," spoke 9, "No, I take that back – tens of thousands."

"Hundreds, actually," stated 56, "And more are currently in the making."

"It's in this room that most of the inhabitants in this colony decide what occupational ambition they will pursue," 11 enlightened the others. "Some decide to enlist in the military division. Others may join the engineering, construction, or medical departments. But those are just a few of the many options open to them."

After about ten minutes, the group left the Library and went to the next room, which had a sign labeled "Construction" hanging above it.

The first Stitchpunk they came to in the front room was a female one named 523. She was the construction foreman. In the main room, there were dozens of Stitchpunks studying large models of buildings and attempting to replicate them by hand.

"In here, anyone who decides to take part in architecture puts their skills to good use," 11 told 3, 4, 7, and 9.

"We teach the new applicants a great multitude of practices, such as carpentry, stonework, waterproofing, cladding, fireproofing, and masonry," 523 went on, "Recently, the amount of applicants to the construction division has been steadily increasing. That is fortunate when considering the increased demand for civil engineers."

"Why is there increased demand?" asked 9.

"There's been some thought of expanding the colony." 110 answered, "While we will need a great many civil engineers to handle the building, what we really need is some demolitions experts to take out parts of some of the walls."

"You won't find any of those here," remarked 523, "In this division, we create things; not destroy them."

"We've also built a number of outposts on the surface," said 56, "Thanks to the builders, we can monitor any and all machine activity within five miles of Haven. The outposts are even built in an inconspicuous manner."

"How so?" asked 7.

"To the machines, they only appear as large piles of rubble." 523 replied.

After observing the working Stitchpunks for a while, the group exited the Construction division and went to the next room. This door had a sign labeled "Engineering" above it.

In the front room, they were greeted by a male Stitchpunk named 14. He was the Chief Engineer.

"We just came from Civil Engineering," 11 told him, a little tentatively, though. She turned to her company and told them "Every other form of engineering is found in this department."

"She is correct," stated 14, "We have mechanical, electrical, chemical, and other forms of engineering. Here, we create and improve equipment, gadgets, weapons, and even tools."

The group walked to the next room. 11 and 14 were walking side by side, smiling at each other slightly. 9 noticed that they were even holding hands!

He turned to 56 and 110 and whispered "Why are they connecting their hands?"

"Oh, you must not know yet," stated 110, "In addition to being our Chief Engineer, 14 is 11's mate."

"Really?" said 7, raising the stitch above her optic in interest.

56 nodded. "While he is busy heading our largest division, she is busy leading our entire colony."

14 had light tan burlap for skin. He was slightly taller than 11, and his hands and feet were made of bronze. There were two small drawers made of steel on his chest.

In the main room, there were many Stitchpunks working on various projects either in groups or alone. There were dozens of small tables around the room, as well as places in the room designated all the different incomplete parts.

9 overheard 11 and 14 talk to each other. She said "How's he doing?"

"He's making rapid progress," he answered, "In fact; I think he's almost finished. I'll show you."

11 looked over her shoulder and told the others "Come this way."

The group walked further into the huge room and stopped by a short Stitchpunk who was working on a small, cylinder-shaped device. He was using an eyeglass screwdriver to tighten a screw on the cylinder's side. Once he was finished, 14 went up to him and patted him on the back.

The Stitchpunk turned around, almost jumping in surprise. But he quickly calmed down. This Stitchpunk had light yellow burlap skin. His hands and feet were made of bronze, copper, and zirconium. However, he had two interesting features that 9 and the others had not seen yet: he had five fingers on each hand, and he had toes on his feet. He was just slightly shorter than 3 and 4. A type of aluminum cabinet door was on his chest. He seemed a little younger than any Stitchpunk 9 had encountered yet.

He stood up straight and said calmly "Oh, it's you. What can I do for you Fa – I mean, sir?"

14 told the young Stitchpunk "The 'Director'" – he put a strange emphasis on that word – "is giving our newest arrivals a tour of the compound."

11 stepped up to the younger Stitchpunk , who stuttered nervously "I, uh, I didn't know you planned to come here today."

"Well, here I am," 11 remarked lightheartedly, "Your superior tells me that you're making great progress on that new device."

"Yes, in fact, I just finished it!" he brightly responded and showed them the object he was holding in his hands.

"Are you sure?" said 14.

"Quite," answered the young Stitchpunk, "Do you really think this device can bring about the turning point in the war against the machines?"

"That will depend on if you were successful in creating it properly," answered 11.

"I assure you, this thing works like a charm," grinned the young Stitchpunk.

"In that case, take it to the Weapons Test Course," 14 ordered him, "I want you to give it directly to 25. Tell him we sent you."

The young Stitchpunk nodded and scurried out of the room with the device in his hands.

9 was fascinated by the conversation between him, 11, and 14.

"Who was that?" asked 9.

"That was 1253," 14 replied, "He's one of my top engineers."

"He's also our son," 11 finished.

9's optics shot open wide. He slowly turned to 11 and asked "W-what did you say?"

"He's our son," 11 replied simply.

At first, 9 thought he misheard her. But he heard her clearly that time. 3, 4, and 7 were equally astounded by 11's answer.

"As in 'biological' son?" said 7.

11 raised a stitch above her eye and spoke "Yes. You seemed surprised to discover that."

"You mean…" 9 paused to properly phrase his next question, but failed, "Our… our kind can… can… reproduce?"

"Yes," 14 replied. Clearly he was somewhat astounded as well. "You didn't know that?"

"Truthfully, no," 9 answered, "Then again, there's a lot about us that I myself am not fully aware of."

"Well, now you know that our kind has the ability to reproduce," said 56.

"Is this ability available to all of us?" inquired 7.

"Yes, each and every one of us can produce what we call 'Stitchlings,'" answered 110.

7, 9, 11, 14, and 56 chuckled.

"So, is this the reason why there are more than eight thousand, one hundred Stitchpunks in this colony?" assumed 7.

"You are entirely correct, 7," 11 nodded.

"Is 1253 your only child?" 9 asked the Director and the Chief Engineer.

"No, we have six," responded 14, "1253 is our eldest."

"How –if you don't mind me asking – **do **we reproduce?" 9 queried.

"Are you familiar with the human concept with mating?" 14 began.

"Somewhat," 9 hesitantly answered, "3 and 4 did a lot of research, but my knowledge of it is minimal."

"Well, our method of reproduction is almost identical," 11 enlightened him and the others, "If you wish to learn more about the organs required to accomplish this process, visit the Hospital Wing later on. Request to speak with 185 and 266. They can educate you."

7 and 9 looked at each other apprehensively. Then they turned back to 11 and 14 and 9 stated "We'll think about it."

"How about the rest of the tour?" 11 offered, wanting to change the subject.

The others agreed. After spending a while observing the other engineers in the room, they travelled to the adjoining room.


End file.
